Inherit
by Spiritstrike
Summary: Sequel to Birth: Rodimus has to complete a special task in rising towards his destiny: to build a home for his people. In order to do that, he must first repair the bond between the Autobots and humans. But the humans are still wary from what befell in the past and it will take a miracle to persuade them. Rated for violence, profanity and torture. 2nd of the Earthspark Quadrilogy.
1. Here We Are

****I know, it's a bit of a shock that I decided to post up the sequel, but my muse could not be contained. This story takes place two months after Birth, and this one is going to be a tad bit shorter than it. Huh, I guess it depends upon my muse really. I suppose I should say that I'm a little bit crazy for starting up this story, but there's been crazy before in the past.

This story is a bit of a filler that takes place in between Birth and Future. I thought we could take a break from the main plotline and march on forward to this one because my muse was being a pain. Alright... stupid excuse, but after this chapter, I'm going to focus a bit on Guardian Angel and Brother My Brother, I miss those stories terribly, so...

If you haven't read Birth, here's a list of some of the characters and their vehicle modes that I chose for them. These cars exist if you care to look them up. They were not picked on random, rather they were based upon the characters' personalities and whatnot.

**Rodimus Prime** - red Ford GTX1 with amber and orange flames on the bonnet and sides

**Arcee** - byzantine McLaren MP4-12C

**Prowl** - black and white 2007 Dodge Challenger Police Car

**Wheeljack** - white 2008 Nissan Titan Crew Cab Pro-4x

**Springer** - dark green 2011 Ford Interceptor Concept/Customized Cybertronian Jetfighter

**Skyfire** - gray B-1B Lancer Bomber

**Windrazor** - marble white B-1A Lancer Bomber

**Hound** - army green Jeep Wrangler Unlimited

**Scattershot** - brown 9K52 Luna-M

**First Aid** - cream Dodge Magnum SRT-8

We've also got time units that I've decided to use to my advantage and were used with permission of the person who thought of them.

**Nano-klik** = 1 second  
**Micro-klik** = 10 seconds  
**Klik** = 1 minute  
**Nano-cycle** = 10 minutes  
**Micro-cycle** = Hour  
**Cycle** = Day  
**Mega-cycle** = Week  
**Deca-cycle** = Month  
**Ano-cycle** = Year  
**Giga-cycle** = Decade  
**Vorn** = Century

* * *

**May 4th, 2013**

A bright cast of sunlight shone down upon the broad landscape that was the Bonneville Salt Flats. The rays made the salt particles look almost look like crystal that glimmered brightly. A vulture hovered above the silver land as it searched endlessly for any signs of dead or dying creatures that may have wandered into the unknown. However, what it found instead was quite an unusual sight indeed to its eyes. It flew in for a closer look to investigate what it could see, using its binocular vision to get a clearer sight.

Far beneath its hovering form, a strange looking dust storm was being kicked up and revving engines was heard from far below. Much to the vulture's surprise, there was a strange looking monster that was zooming ahead of the dust storm, its strange byzantine coloured body shone brightly in the spring sunshine. The exterior design of the monster was streamlined and feminine, giving it an aerodynamic feel to those that looked at it from afar.

From behind the byzantine monster were three others that had different coloured bodies compared to the byzantine one. The second one was of amber yellow with a pair of black racing stripes running along its nose, back and behind. The third one was completely silver with no back covering its soft inner design. The last one was that was far behind the others, however, was very different from the other three. Instead of just being one colour like the rest, it's exterior was ruby red that shone brightly when it was caught by the sun's rays, it's nose and sides were lined with amber and orange flames that twisted and turned in a variety of different directions, stretching until they just reached the end of the monster's tail.

What the vulture didn't know was that these were vehicles, vehicles that were copied from the original designs made by humans and placed into the internal data banks by visitors from the heavens above.

And these four vehicles were those visitors from the heavens and having a good time together.

That is except for the one at the far end of the group.

Unlike the others, the ruby and amber coloured vehicle was born from a strange alien cube that had given him life and had forced him to run for his life. Now, he was part of his newfound people and lived happily as their leader. Having the processor of a child but the body of an adult made some of them question, whisper behind his back and call him a name he never really liked, thus forcing him to leave them. If it had been for a certain event, he would not be back amongst friends and comrades and leading them.

"_Come on, you mechs_!" the byzantine coloured vehicle in the front shouted in a feminine voice. _"You can't even keep up with me! You're all eating my dust!"_

"_Easy for you to say, Arcee,"_ snapped the silver Corvette. _"You're always one step ahead of us, even after Rodimus gave us the fraggin' head start!"_

"_You're all so slow,"_ Arcee laughed. _"Now I know Rodimus winning that last race was really a fluke!"_

Rodimus Prime laughed from far behind the other Autobots. It felt good to get away from the base and from his duties, despite how he secretly told Prowl that he would be in charge of the base for a little while. The feeling of the warm sun on his armour and the wind blowing past his chassis made him feel very much alive. He had nothing to worry about and nothing to bother him except enjoy the company of his guardians, Bumblebee and Sideswipe, and his good femme friend Arcee.

While he had given his friends a head start in the race just to be fair, considering how they kept on annoying him about how he always won the races, it just felt very good to know that life was not throwing Decepticons at him and his Autobots. From what Prowl had reported, the Decepticons had been quiet over the past two months after the Autobots had destroyed both the _Nemesis_ and Harbinger.

It puzzled Rodimus greatly, but it didn't bother him much. Besides, he had more important things to worry about.

"_Come on, Rodimus! Show us your stuff, or are you too much of a chicken to challenge me anymore?"_ Arcee mocked him over the com-link.

"You're going to regret ever challenging me, Arcee!" Rodimus growled back, his engine revved violently as he began to pick up speed and closing the gap between him and the others.

"_Frag it, Arcee, now you've done it,"_ Bumblebee laughed from ahead. _"You do know what happens when you challenge Roddy, don't you?"_

Bumblebee was right. Nobody ever challenged Rodimus anymore ever since he had become Prime. Though he was small in stature and wasn't very strong compared to Optimus, he still made up for it with the skills he had received during the six years he had been alone before he had met the Autobots. His speed was completely unmatched and Arcee had suffered whenever she challenged him. She obviously wanted to prove that she was faster than him ever since he had beaten her during the 'last race' incident.

While Rodimus continued to close the gap between him and the others, he noticed that Sideswipe and Bumblebee had broken apart to let him through knowing that they could never outrace him anymore, even if they pushed their engines to their limit. He knew it was only because this race was mainly between him and Arcee.

The finishing line was only just a league away

Arcee seemed to sense that he was catching up and locked in her back tyres before switching on her nitro boosters. In a matter of seconds, she once again gained speed in order to get ahead of him. It didn't bother him in the slightest, as he never even had to use nitro boosters in the six years of life he had known. All he needed to do was push his engine to its highest maximum and he would be able to catch her in a matter of seconds.

Flipping up his newly applied spoiler to give him a more aerodynamic feel, he adjusted it slightly before he was sure it was the correct setting. Satisfied, he then shoved his gearstick into the highest setting and he felt himself flying across the salt lake. All the power was there when he needed it as he gained more and more ground, catching up with Arcee once more.

"_So it wasn't a fluke,"_ Arcee transmitted to Rodimus, a sigh escaping from her interiors as the young Prime finally came up alongside her. _"Then I guess it's time to see who really is the fastest."_

"You got that, Arcee," Rodimus laughed.

As the finishing line drew closer, Arcee and Rodimus continued to race side by side until he began to inch away from her. It seemed like there was going to be no chance of Arcee winning this race anytime soon, and the cheers of excitement from both Bumblebee and Sideswipe only gave Rodimus the encouragement he needed to push himself even further.

They zoomed across the finishing line, just as the shuttle took their photo, but Arcee knew in her spark that she had once again lost to Rodimus. Rodimus switched down his gearstick to the lowest point, skidding to a halt as he pulled a 360 degree turn in time to feel Arcee zipping by and she too came to skidding halt.

Transforming into their bipedal forms, Rodimus flickered his doorwings excitedly just as Arcee brushed some of the salt and dust from her byzantine armour with her left hand, a smile upon her lips. "You beat me once again, Rodimus," she sighed in defeat. "Now I know I can never beat you in a race."

Rodimus chuckled as he too brushed the dust off his armour. "You never know, Arcee," he smiled. "One day you might end up beating my winning streak. It will just take a lot of guts and a lot of maintenance exams from Ratchet in order to beat me."

The revving pair of engines signalled the arrival of Sideswipe and Bumblebee just as they reached them. They too transformed back into their robot forms and shook themselves to remove some of the dust that would have got in between their joints. From the feeling of their overheated bodies, they must have been exhausted from all that racing.

"Once again, Rodimus," Bumblebee chuckled, "you beat us, proving that you are the fastest."

Rodimus merely waved a dismissing hand at them. "Please, Bee," he smirked, "don't feed my overgrowing ego. It's big enough as it already is."

Arcee shook her head as Bumblebee and Sideswipe glanced at one another and smirked, their optics flashing with mischief and excitement. Arcee looked to Rodimus and was about to say something when she noticed that his doorwings had stiffened and his cyan optics started twitching unexpectedly.

"Rodimus, what's wrong?" Sideswipe asked worriedly.

Before Rodimus could answer, a massive blast of plasma knocked them all off their pedes, sending salt particles and dust flying through the air and coating them in it. Rodimus picked himself up off the ground and rushed to aid his friends just as a familiar F22 Raptor with alien tattoos covering his entire structure flew over them and transformed into a triangle shaped mech with a Decepticon symbol on imbedded in his forehead.

Following right behind him were at least five other Decepticons all in their Cybertronian armour. They peered down upon the group with leering red optics that focused on the small group of Autobots.

"Does that answer your question, Sides?" Arcee snapped angrily.

"Sometimes I wish my old life was dull..." Rodimus groaned as he pinched the bridge of his nose plate in annoyance. He backed up slightly as he felt his doorwings brush against Arcee's. They were standing completely back to back as they watched the enemy surround them. He even felt Bumblebee and Sideswipe draw a little closer as well as they too stood alongside him.

"When has it ever been dull?" Bumblebee smirked as he glanced over his shoulder at the young Prime.

Rodimus transformed his back into his plasma blaster. He could feel it hum with power and life. "We're going to be in one hell of a day, Autobots," he sighed.

* * *

Well, here's the first chapter completed. As you may notice, because it's not entirely part of the main storyline, this one will not get single word titles, but rather titles that suit the situation of the chapter. I hope you enjoy what I have in mind for this story, as it will be much shorter than Birth but will have a significant role to play. Please sit back and enjoy the ride, because next chapter you'll see just how much of a badass Rodimus has become over the past two months. Let's rock!


	2. Get Up and Fight

I'm a tad bit disappointed that I didn't get as much reviews as I did during Birth's time, but I guess it's because people have lost interest in my stories. I'm not surprised really. But I'm glad that my favourite reviewers have returned to read my story. It's good to see you guys again. My gratitude of seeing you again is VERY high.

I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I tried to make Rodimus as badass as I possibly could... without making him too powerful. He still has a long way to go before he has the right skills to take on Megatron himself.

* * *

From what Rodimus was able to see and sense at the exact same time, there were at least six Decepticons surrounding him and his friends, including Starscream. There were four against six, two Decepticons for each Autobot to take on. That didn't seem very fair, and Starscream probably knew that. Rodimus felt his doorwings standing on end as he glanced from Starscream to the five other Decepticons. He recognised them after having done research on the enemy. Prowl had forced him to know almost each and every one of those that were spotted on the battlefield, and these five were the ones he had studied for the past two months.

At least three of the Decepticons were known for having the fiercest of reputations: Vortex, Thrust and Ramjet. He should have known that Starscream would bring these severely unbalanced types of Decepticons onto the battlefield. From what he recalled about these crazy twits, they were not the kind to be trifled with, and he barely had enough experience to deal with just the rest of the lowly ones: Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Blast Off.

Frag it all to the Pit, Rodimus knew that he wasn't even fully trained enough to handle enemies on his own!

"_Rodimus, you're trembling,"_ Arcee spoke over the private com-link to him. He turned his head to see her beautiful cyan optics looking into her own with concern. He hadn't even realised that his doorwings were shivering slightly until the last minute and he forced himself to calm down before the Decepticons would notice his insecurity. He could not afford to let them see that he still had a long way to go before he would be ready to take on Megatron himself.

"_Sorry, Arcee,"_ he answered quietly, _"it's just been a while since I fought on the battlefield. Do you think my training with the officers would have paid off?"_

Arcee responded with a smile. _"There's only one way to find out,"_ she replied as her gaze shifted back to the Decepticons as the landed in a circle, boxing them in completely. Rodimus heard the sound of metal shifting and a warm feeling behind his back, telling him that Arcee had brought out her plasma cannon and was ready to fight.

"_Rodimus Prime, this is Prowl. Teletrann-One just detected at least six Decepticon energy signatures in your area and surrounding you. What's going on out there?"_

"Why don't you get Teletrann to show you?" Rodimus spat impatiently. "You'd think Teletrann could have warned us about the incoming Decepticons that are standing right in front of our faces?"

"_Rodimus, this is no time for your smart attitude,"_ Prowl groaned. _"Are you able to hold them off until backup arrives?"_

The young Prime inched further back as he aimed his plasma blaster at Starscream, who had inched closer with a fierce grin upon his lips. _"Does it look like we have a choice?"_ he questioned the vice commander. He heard a sigh from behind, and he realised that he may have gone a bit too far with his yapping mouth. _"Never mind, what is the backup's ETA?"_

"_Judging by the group that is being led by Ironhide and from Teletrann's calculations,"_ Prowl replied,_ "the backup should be there within at least twenty minutes."_

Oh that definitely put Rodimus' processor at ease. He wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing and whether to be relieved or not. He could have sworn his dental plates were gritting violently against each other, and a tiny bit of energon leaked from his lips, indicating that he had bitten his bottom lip a little too deeply.

"_Ugh, fine, Prowl,"_ he sighed. _"Just tell Ironhide to pick up the pace already. From the looks of Starscream, he seems pretty keen about wiping the floor with my ass, and I am pretty much out of sticks that are supposed to go up it."_

"Consulting with your second in command, youngling?" Starscream sneered as he continued to edge forward until he was no more than at least several metres away from Rodimus and his friends. The other Decepticons remained where they were, but Starscream continued to speak in a mocking tone. "So it seems that Optimus has got fed up with leading the Autobots and his only successor is nothing more than a mere child."

He turned to battalion of Decepticons.

"Look at him, boys, he's nothing but a sparkling that hardly has any experience with fighting Decepticons, and he took down Harbinger with just one lucky shot. It's just pathetic!"

The Decepticons snickered cruelly as Rodimus felt his insides freeze up and his doorwings stand up on end. He could feel a burning sensation in his spark. No, it was an emotion unlike anything he had felt before. He felt his hands ball into fists as he struggled to hide his emotions like Optimus had taught him during poker. Burning fury twisted deeply inside his tanks, making his body somehow feel warmer than it already did.

He felt a comforting hand rest upon his left shoulder, causing him to stiffen up and take a deep gasp of air. He glanced to one side and saw a concerned look in Arcee's optics. It somehow calmed him down, the fury fading away into the back of his processor.

"Don't listen to them, Rodimus," Sideswipe hissed from his right. "He's just doing that to get on your nerves!"

"Remember what Optimus taught you," Bumblebee whispered on his left.

"Aww, look at that," Blast Off taunted, "his Autobot friends are trying to calm him down. He must be a big sparkling to need his friends so much."

More laughter followed and Rodimus felt his insides swell with bubbling fury again. Only this time, it could not be contained any longer. Without thinking, he primed his plasma cannon and blasted Blast Off's head clean off, shocking the Decepticons and his Autobot friends. He was aware of their shocked stares, but he didn't care. The growing fury was enough to give him the strength to surprise anybody. Considering how unpredictable he had been in the past, he was going to become even worse now that he was Prime.

He watched in satisfaction as Blast Off's body fell dead on the ground, the gaping hole where his head used to be attached to his neck sparked, and energon gushed out like a foaming waterfall. Rodimus wondered on whether or not it had been the right thing to do in killing a Decepticon who had no warning. Probably not, but he was in a bad mood now. It was bad enough to give anyone a run for their money.

"Autobots, attack!" Rodimus shouted at the top of his voice.

He charged forward towards Starscream, cyan optics blazing furiously. He heard his friends comply by flying towards their enemy at lightning speed, surprising them completely. That surprise was enough to give him and the others an advantage as he attempted to tackle Starscream, but the massive vice commander of the Decepticons immediately recovered by stepping aside and grabbing him by the waist, tossing him aside like as if he weighed like nothing.

Rodimus grunted as he landed on one side, sending dust and salt particles scattering in his wake. He coughed twice, attempting to clear out his intakes. It took him a second to realise that his optical and audio sensors had gone offline. He shook his head to clear some of the dizziness just as he managed to regain his sensors back, only to see Starscream stand over him and pick him up by the throat. He held him at optic level and Rodimus could detect a foul scent in his olfactory sensors. He struggled not to gag. It was bad enough he had to smell something so disgusting.

He thought he heard someone call his name, but it was nearly impossible to make out who had called out to him. All he could do was focus on nothing more than Starscream, whose grip on his neck had tightened to the point in making him gasp for air. He clawed effortlessly at Starscream's hand in an attempt to get away, but he ended up becoming held at arm's length and he was failing miserably.

"You're a pathetic Prime, youngling," Starscream smirked. "Optimus could put up a much better fight than you."

Rodimus whimpered pathetically. He was a complete and utter failure. Maybe he should have just quit when he had the chance? Damn it, what was he thinking? He shook his head angrily, his cyan optics flashing as he kicked out with his pedes and he ended up clipping Starscream's groin!

Starscream hollered in pain and he was forced to drop Rodimus and fall to his knees, groaning from the agony. Rodimus rolled several times and picked himself up off the ground, rubbing his neck painfully, only just be narrowly shot in the shoulder by a plasma ball.

Luckily it was nothing more than a graze that was singing his armour, and it didn't bother his exterior much. He mentally thanked Kup for teaching him the skills he knew today. He turned his head just as another plasma ball whistled past his audio receptors, causing them to ring and blocking some of the audio from reaching his cerebral processor.

"Target the Prime!" Thrust shouted, firing at him again.

Rodimus ducked as he back flipped to avoid getting hit by another shot. He sighed with relief, but it was short-lived as he found himself completely isolated from the others. He realised that only Thrust and Ramjet were the only Decepticons that had come to target him while the rest had drawn his friends away without even noticing it until the last moment.

Frag it!

He glared at Starscream, only to end up getting a fist in his face from the silver Decepticon. Energon dripped from the bottom of his lips and he spat to one side to remove some of it that was beginning to fill up his mouth. The energon merged with the salt particles and stained it glowing, pale blue. He countered Starscream's next punch by blocking it with his right wrist and released an uppercut that almost didn't reach his target. He was forced to leap aside as Thrust and Ramjet fired upon him once again.

With frustration growing deep inside his spark, Rodimus knew that he had to take care of the fliers soon or else he would end up dead on the pavement. Starscream's satisfied smirk was enough to convince him that he would be finished real soon.

"_Rodimus, you've strayed too far from the others! Return to them!"_ Prowl ordered.

"_Don't you think I already know that?"_ Rodimus snapped impatiently. _"What's Ironhide's ETA?"_

Prowl didn't answer at first for awhile as the young Prime was forced to fight on for the next several minutes. Anger gnawed in the pit of his tanks, but he couldn't blame Prowl for taking awhile. Some things just couldn't be helped. For the moment, he had to keep Starscream off of him and attempting to take shots at Thrust and Ramjet for a little while longer before Prowl finally responded in a relieved voice.

"_Ironhide's ETA is ten more minutes,"_ the black and white mech replied. _"Hold on for a little while longer, Rodimus."_

"_I'm trying, Prowl,"_ Rodimus sighed.

"_Rodimus, I just noticed we got separated from you,"_ Arcee's frantic voice called over the com-link, surprising Rodimus completely. _"I'm coming to you while Sideswipe and Bumblebee cover my aft!"_

Rodimus tried to shout at Arcee and tell her to not bother, as he couldn't afford to lose the only best friend he ever had, but she ignored him as he spotted a familiar byzantine coloured vehicle speeding straight towards him while Bumblebee and Sideswipe kept the other Decepticons distracted long enough for her to get to him.

"Don't take your optics off me, youngling!" Starscream snarled as he picked Rodimus up again and threw him at a tremendous distance.

Rodimus felt himself fly through the air for a good long while, his front section facing the sky before he angled himself correctly and transformed into his vehicle form. He then sped away, much to the amusement of the Starscream and the other two Decepticons. Rodimus sensed that they weren't coming after him.

"_Rodimus what are you doing?"_ Arcee demanded.

"_Pulling a manoeuvre I've always wanted to pull,"_ Rodimus answered matter-of-factly.

The three Decepticons obviously thought that he was running away and it was exactly what he had been waiting for! After he got at least several metres, pulled a 360 degree turn and sped back towards them, pushing down on his gearstick and throttle. He heard Starscream's cry of surprise as he shifted onto a small piece of land shaped like a ramp, lifting him upwards and he quickly transformed back into his robot mode, pushing himself forward and he ended up tackling the shocked Decepticon.

Both he and Starscream rolled several times, but Rodimus kept a firm grip on Starscream's waist. He ended up grabbing the side of his face and pulled his head to one side, his grip tightening and causing the metal to form a hand shaped dent in the side. With Starscream pinned beneath him and barely moving, Rodimus began to throw a flurry of punches, and both Thrust and Ramjet were too much in shock to even begin shooting at him.

But they seemed to regain their composure and aimed their blasters at Rodimus when a blast hit Thrust right in the foot where his plasma burners were. He had a shocked look on his face for a moment before he plummeted to the ground below and landed with a crash. Rodimus turned in time to see Arcee shoot Ramjet in the chest cavity, extinguishing his spark. Ramjet's body then fell to the ground with a heavy thud and suddenly burst into flames.

"Thanks for the save, Arcee," Rodimus smiled as the byzantine femme joined his side.

"I'm always saving your aft," Arcee laughed as she gently pulled Rodimus aside away from the badly beaten Starscream.

"_Rodimus, Sir, Skywarp is retreating,"_ Sideswipe reported. _"Vortex and Thundercracker are heading straight towards you, but it looks like they're going to fight you."_

Indeed to Rodimus' amazement, Vortex and Thundercracker arrived on the scene and he and Arcee were forced to back away as Vortex landed in front of them and picked up the badly damaged Starscream while Thundercracker took away Thrust. They then blasted away as they retreated to wherever it is they came from.

Rodimus was baffled by this, and he turned to Arcee just as Sideswipe and Bumblebee arrived. "What caused them to leave so quickly?" he asked.

Sideswipe shrugged, but then a smile appeared on Bumblebee's face and he pointed towards the north. "Does that answer your question, Rodimus?" he asked, causing the group to turn and smile when they saw what had caused their enemy to leave.

Heading straight towards them with a familiar black Topkick pickup truck in the lead was a small group of Autobots that Rodimus instantly recognised. However, he wasn't surprised to see that Springer was amongst them.

The dark green triple-changer was the first to arrive on the scene as he transformed from his customized jetfighter form and land before them. He shot a glare between Rodimus and Arcee before he turned and jabbed a finger directly into the young Prime's chest plate. "How could you have been so stupid?" he demanded angrily. "If you ever endanger Arcee like that again, I'll tear you a new aft!"

Rodimus glared furiously at him, but he said nothing as he took the sharp end of the dark green mech's anger.

"Springer," Arcee snapped as she took a step forward and poked her ex mech-friend right in the middle of his chest. "Don't you dare talk to Rodimus like that? He's our Prime for Primus' sake!"

Springer was about to start another argument when Ironhide and the rest of the group (Windcharger, Hound, Backfire, and First Aid) arrived on the scene. From the glare of the black mech, Springer wisely backed off with his optics cast onto the ground to avoid facing the wrath of the experienced officer. Shaking his head, Ironhide turned to Rodimus, a serious look on his facial features.

"Rodimus, what happened?" he asked. "Give me an update as what transpired between you and the Decepticons?"

For once in his life, Rodimus had no idea on what to speak of. He didn't even have a witty comeback to say either. He thought for a moment before he finally explained to Ironhide what had occurred during the fight. He didn't leave a single bit of detail out, and Sideswipe and Bumblebee added how they and Arcee had got separated from Rodimus thanks to the Decepticons drawing them away from him.

When Rodimus added how Thrust and Ramjet had targeted him only, Ironhide's optics widened and he turned to the other Autobots that had come with him. He spoke with them in Cybertronian and Rodimus listened to them impatiently. He hated it when they talked in Cybertronian, as he couldn't understand a word they were saying. It made it frustrating and difficult for him. Finally, Ironhide turned back to him, a serious look in his optics.

"Do you have any idea as to why they're targeting you?" he asked, his head tilting downwards slightly.

Rodimus, sighed, "No, I don't."

"It's because you are a Prime," First Aid replied casually as he stepped forward to take a look at Rodimus' injured face. "Primes are always an easy target because they are very important to our people."

"Look, Aid," Rodimus groaned, "can you tend to my injuries later? I'm kind of tired from the fight and the race, so can we please just drop it and go home?"

"You're right, Sir, I apologise," First Aid smiled. "However, I can tell you are in a bit of discomfort. I'll give you a relaxant so that you'll be able to rest more comfortably." He then pulled out a syringe from out of the secret storage unit in his arm and stuck the needle into Rodimus' left arm. "There, that should make you feel better."

"Thank you," Rodimus sighed gratefully. "Although I think Ratchet is going to give me an earful when we get back to base."

"No doubt about that, Sir," Backfire snickered.

"Alright, enough already," Ironhide chuckled. "Get onboard the shuttle that Rodimus was only too happy to borrow." He turned to Rodimus and his friends. "Since you younglings need a rest, I suggest you leave the piloting to me and Springer."

Sideswipe rolled his optics. "Pft, please, old timer. You couldn't even steer a shuttle, let alone land one."

He suddenly yelped in pain when Ironhide backhanded him on his cranium. This caused laughter to erupt from the Autobots as they watched the friendly exchange between the old mech and his ex student. Feeling amused, Rodimus gave a slight yawn and he found himself wobbling on his legs. He was grateful to have Bumblebee catch him and drape an arm around his neck to support him. He was then led back to the shuttle with Sideswipe wrapping his other arm around his own neck, taking most of his weight.

"Thanks, guys," he smiled tiredly. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Anything for a friend, Rodimus," Bumblebee chuckled as he and Sideswipe gently sat Rodimus down on the seat of the shuttle. "You just relax and we'll stay with you like we've always done."

With the other Autobots boarded and accounted for, Ironhide took control of the shuttle and – with Springer's assistance – they headed for home.

Rodimus barely recalled much of the trip home, for he spent the last few hours of the flight going in and out of recharge. The last thing he saw was Arcee sitting beside him and he had rested his head on her lap. He felt her stroking the side of his helm with her digits until he fell into deep recharge. He could have sworn he heard a growl from upfront, but he didn't care. He was far too tired to really notice anything.


	3. Life at the Autobot Base

Wow! The next chapter is up already? I suppose all the hard work of doing this all through the afternoon and nearly throughout the entire night would explain it. However, I started on this chapter shortly after I added Brother My Brother's own. My muse must be really going on a crazy spin or something. I dunno how to explain it.

But I'm not sure how to react to the number of reviews I got on the 2nd chapter. It certainly surprised me! Especially with the number of PMs that started getting thrown onto my shoulders. I was very excited to get a lot of reviews and PMs from people regarding my story. Thanks so much guys!

We return to the Autobots and find out how life has been going for them in the past two months. Please enjoy!

* * *

Rodimus felt someone gently shaking him awake. He opened his optics and noticed Arcee was looking down upon him with a kind smile on her lips. He lifted an optic ridge, for he wasn't sure how long he had been in recharge for. From what his internal clock was able to tell him, he had been recharging for about four hours. Although the recharge felt good, he didn't really feel refreshed.

He sighed and pushed him upwards with the assistance of Arcee. He hadn't even noticed that the shuttle had touched down until he spotted Ironhide and Springer leaving the cockpit and had opened the rear hatch. Sideswipe and Bumblebee approached him and gently helped him to his pedes; once again taking his arms and draping them over their necks to take most of his weight.

He was half way into recharge again when he felt his pedes touch solid ground. He was then taken the rest of the way to the medical bay with Ironhide and Springer leading the way and giving them a clear pathway from any incoming Autobots that wanted to ask him any questions in regards to what had happened out there.

The young Prime was grateful for his friends' assistance. However, he couldn't say the same for Springer. Springer had become a huge pain in his ass ever since he had started hanging out with Arcee, but he guessed it was mainly due to the fact that she and Springer had been pretty close to one another before their arrival on Earth. How close, he wasn't even sure. Arcee never said what kind of relationship they shared, but that wasn't his problem.

Right now, he was going to be dealing with a very pissed off Ratchet by the time they reach the medical bay.

"Rodimus, I should have known you'd cause more damage to yourself than the others!" Ratchet's voice snapped as Sideswipe and Bumblebee gently placed Rodimus on the medical berth. "What is it with you in getting into trouble with the Decepticons?"

"I have no idea," Rodimus grumbled as Ratchet poked at a tender spot in his side, making him wince.

"Alright you three," the lime green mech hissed as he whirled towards Bumblebee, Arcee, and Sideswipe, "get out so I can tend to the youngling! You know how much of an annoyance you can be to me whenever I work."

Bumblebee and Sideswipe were quick to leave, but Arcee remained behind for a little bit longer. She approached Rodimus and stroked the side of his helm with a delicate digit. Her actions puzzled Rodimus greatly but he said nothing as she continued to stroke him for a little bit longer and then left without a word.

Once she was gone, Ratchet lifted an optic ridge. "What was that all about?"

Rodimus shrugged. "Don't know," he replied. "She's been like that for the past couple of months ever since I returned to the Autobots. Why, is there something wrong?"

Ratchet laughed, "No reason. I just think it's sparkwarming to see that the femme cares so much about you. She must be worried that you'll end up leaving the Autobots again."

If Rodimus had another smart comeback to say, he didn't say it. Rather he kept his mouth shut as Ratchet tended to his injuries. He feared that he would weld his mouth shut and glue his doorwings and aft to the ceiling if he so much as even thought about being a smartass.

"Ow!" he spat when Ratchet touched a sensitive spot. "Don't do that you old fart!"

He should have kept his mouth shut because Ratchet hit him in the back of the head with his favourite wrench, earning a satisfying yelp of pain. He wisely kept his mouth shut after that for fear that Ratchet will make his next maintenance exam as painful as the last one, and it was something Rodimus dreaded the most.

He was relieved when Ratchet added the final touches to his bottom lip that had continued to leak energon until he had stopped it.

"There, all done," Ratchet frowned. "Next time you do something stupid like that again or open your big fat mouth, I will do more than hit you with my wrench. No, wait! I'll strap you down to the medical berth and leave you there for the rest of your miserable life. Do I make myself clear?"

"Crystal," Rodimus answered, rolling his optics. "Now can I go now?"

"Yes, Rodimus, you can go now. However, I expect you to get some recharge as soon as possible because your energy levels are too low for my liking."

Rodimus made a mock salute as he carefully slid off the berth and planted his pedes firmly on the ground. He left the medical bay with Ratchet grumbling something about how incorrigible he could be sometimes and that he would someday be the death of him. Rodimus wanted to laugh in his face, but he let a smirk cross his lips instead.

He hadn't noticed that his smirk was caught by the vice commander of the Autobots, who had been walking through the corridors during his debate with Ratchet.

"Got a nano-klik, Rodimus?" Prowl's voice called that cut through his thoughts. "I believe we have important issues that we need to discuss."

The young Prime sighed and nodded as he followed Prowl for a certain distance. Once they arrived at Prowl's office that was well away from prying audio receptors, Prowl sat down in his chair behind his desk and motioned to Rodimus to sit down, his arms across his chest and his infamous stoic expression clearly visible. Rodimus did as he was told by taking his seat and he countered Prowl's stare with his own coolly.

"What is it you wanted to discuss about?" he asked. "Does it have something to do with what had happened today?"

"That," said Prowl, "and about your lessons that you and I have been having over the past two months. We never had one last week due to issues that has been going on with the other officers."

"I guess you want us to have it today then?" Rodimus asked. "Can't it wait? I have to get some recharge due to Ratchet's so-called doctor's orders."

"I was planning on having it tonight, actually," Prowl replied. "It's important that we increase your number of lessons in case anything happens to you on the battlefield." He picked up a data pad from behind his desk and scribbled something on it. "I've decided that we will change your schedule to three times a week instead of once a week. I'm worried that the Decepticons have figured out that Optimus is no longer Prime and that you have taken his place."

Rodimus lifted an optic ridge as Prowl pushed the data pad towards him. He picked it up and looked at the schedule change. Much to his horror, one of the lessons was on the day that he and his friends went racing. However, he mentally sighed with relief when he realised that day was tonight at 6:30PM. At least he wouldn't have to worry about changing their racing time, as it always brought a smile upon his face whenever they went out for a good race.

"I know that smile of yours, Rodimus," Prowl chuckled, catching him by surprise. "You're grateful that I didn't have the time of the lesson when you go racing."

Rodimus remained silent and it caused Prowl to shake his head with amusement.

"Also," Prowl went on, "I want you to file in a report on what had happened on the battlefield. I have my suspicions as to why the Decepticons attacked you without warning, but we have to let the other officers know at once so that we can be prepared for the next time we take you with us on patrol."

"Alright," Rodimus sighed. "I'll get onto it as soon as I get up from recharge. That is if you don't mind of course."

Prowl merely waved a hand, indicating that he was fine with it and gave a quiet 'you are dismissed' to Rodimus. Rodimus then stood up and quickly left in case Prowl might change his mind, considering how he often had a habit of changing it at the last moment just to keep Rodimus on his toes.

Pft, Rodimus had been spending far too much time on the Internet these days. He had been researching everything he could to appeal to the humans' better nature when the time came for them to heal the broken alliance between the Autobots and them. The problem was he wasn't sure exactly how he was going to do it without upsetting the officers and the humans. It made him worry that they will never get the new home that the Dynasty of Primes had visualised not too long ago.

Without the humans, it would be impossible to stand a chance against whatever darkness was coming.

It wasn't long before the day's events began to catch up with Rodimus. He felt his chassis stagger a little and he had been forced to hold the wall for a short period of time as a wave of dizziness came over him. He was glad that no one was around to tell him to go back and see Ratchet. All he needed was a good recharge and he would be good and ready for his lesson with Prowl.

Primus-damn it, he really didn't like those lessons with the vice commander, but it was for the best. He just wished that they weren't really necessary, but it was all part of his training in case the Decepticons decided to make their move on him and take him away for... interrogation. The mere thought of it happening sent chills down his spinal column, and he didn't want to think about it anymore.

He had been so busy thinking that he hadn't even noticed that he had arrived at the recreation room and bumped into the incoming Optimus'. Rodimus nearly jumped out of his armour when he accidentally ran into the former Autobot commander and fell on his aft. He heard Optimus' concerned voice and saw his hand reaching out to him to offer assistance.

Rodimus was only too grateful to accept the offered hand and Optimus helped him back onto his pedes. "Your processor must be wandering if you were not able to look where you were going, young Rodimus," Optimus said sagely.

"Sorry, Optimus," the young mech said. "I just hadn't noticed that I had come in here until the last nano-klik."

"Come and join us, Rodimus," Ironhide's voice called from a table. "Optimus was about to join me when you bumped into his aft. Got a good feel out of it?"

"Ironhide!" Optimus growled, earning a chortle from the black mech. "How many times must I tell you to not make fun of my aft? It's reserved for Elita, and you know it."

"Of course, Optimus, of course," Ironhide snickered. "I'll go and get us some drinks. You want high grade, kid?"

"Um," Rodimus tried to say. He felt a bit uncomfortable with the fact that Ironhide had probably forgotten about what had happened when he had first tasted high grade. He still couldn't remember what had happened on the day Bumblebee had given him some. Whenever he asked Bumblebee or Mirage, both mechs always laughed and remained silent, leaving a bad taste in Rodimus' mouth.

"Ironhide," Optimus chuckled, "just get Rodimus a cube of energon. You do remember what happened the last time he had a taste of high grade."

The black mech chuckled and waved his hand. "I hear you, Optimus," he smirked. "No high grade for the kid."

After he had left, Optimus took his seat and invited Rodimus to sit across from him. Rodimus hesitated for a moment because he really wasn't up for staying for too long, but he complied anyway. His doorwings twitched nervously, and he noticed Optimus was studying his body language carefully. He tried to will his doorwings to calm down, but he couldn't seem to relax for very long.

"You're worried about something, Rodimus," Optimus smiled. "What is bothering you?"

"I-I had a quick meeting with Prowl about what had happened on the battlefield today, Father," he answered quietly. "Prowl has decided to increase my number of lessons because he believes that the 'Cons may be trying to come for me. I don't like these lessons and they bother me heaps, but I understand that they must be done for my own good."

Optimus leaned back in his chair just as Ironhide returned with three cubes. He handed one to Optimus, then a small cube of energon for Rodimus, and took his seat beside Optimus. Optimus took a quick sip of his cube and looked Rodimus dead in the optic, forcing him to look away with shame.

"I too had these lessons with Prowl when I first became Prime," Optimus explained, his deep baritone voice rumbling with kindness. "I hated the lessons, but it was for my own good if I was to end up becoming a victim of war."

"Prowl means well in his lessons, youngling," Ironhide put in gently. "Listen to him carefully, for they may one day save your life."

As his energy levels dropped a little further, Rodimus quickly gulped down his energon, much to the surprise of the older mechs. He didn't care about what they thought as long as he got the necessary contents to make him feel better and drown away the worries deep inside his processor. He chatted with Optimus and Ironhide for a little while longer until Ratchet pinged him, telling him to get his aft into his recharge berth or else he would come down there, sedate him and drag him to his quarters himself.

Rodimus sighed as he stood up on tired legs, "Sorry, guys, I have to go and get some rest. Doctor's orders, unfortunately."

"Ratchet hounding you again about not recharging when you should be?" Ironhide teased.

"You could say that," Rodimus chuckled. "I'll see you tomorrow if I don't have my shift in the command centre."

He waved goodbye and then quickly departed without a backward glance over his shoulder. Although he knew that Ratchet meant good on his threat, he had a feeling that the old mech would have a hard time trying to catch him, despite being low on energy. He was happy to at least have a decent dose of energon just to keep him going. The memories of taking petrol before he met the Autobots made his tanks churn with disgust.

The walk to his quarters took a lot longer than he expected, but he didn't mind. However, he wasn't surprised to see Arcee waiting for him there at his door. She turned and smiled warmly when she saw him. He felt a warm feeling pass over his face, but he quickly dismissed it as he approached her.

"Hey, Arcee," he greeted his friend, "I wasn't expecting you to be at my quarters. What can I do for you?"

Arcee looked down at the floor as she seemed to consider what to say to him. He waited patiently for her to speak until she looked up and said, "I was wondering how your check up with Ratchet went."

"As you can see, Arcee," Rodimus laughed, "I am perfectly fine. Ratchet just told me to get some recharge if I am to get back up to speed. However, he's becoming a major pain in my ass the more he keeps on hounding me to get my aft into my quarters and rest. He has already threatened to strap me down to my berth, weld my aft and doorwings to it, and sedate me if I don't rest."

The byzantine femme giggled, "Poor Roddy has to suffer while we have some fun. I was also going to ask you if you would like to join Bee, Sides, and myself for a nice drink of energon and a good chat about the day's events sometime tomorrow in the recreation room."

Rodimus became thoughtful for a moment as he considered her offer. "I'm not sure when I will be available, Arcee," he told her honestly. "But we'll see."

Her doorwings drooped slightly and her body sagged a little, which baffled him. This instantly told him that he had said something to upset her. Maybe he should try and make up to her with something. Then, an idea hit him square in the cranium, causing him to stumble a little on his legs. He quickly regained his footing before she noticed and took her hands in his own.

"Hey, Arcee, I just had an idea," he told her excitedly. "Meet me in my office in the morning, and I will have Prowl, Bumblebee, and Sideswipe meet us there as well. I think you'll like what I have in mind."

She lifted an optic ridge in puzzlement and she nods in agreement. "Alright, Rodimus," she smiled. She then let go of his hands and walked around him, but then stopped and looked at him with her cyan, crystal optics. "I wish you a good recharge, Sir."

"Arcee," Rodimus said seriously, "you don't have to call me 'sir' when we're both off duty. You know what I prefer."

She laughed, "Of course, Roddy." She then went on her way towards her quarters, leaving Rodimus alone once again.

Satisfied that he had his friend taken care of, he then pressed in a few commands and the door slid open, granting him entrance.

He sighed with relief as the door closed behind him and he transformed his battle armour to reveal his protoform. He had mastered this transformation just a few days after he had become Prime thanks to Optimus teaching him this quality. It made his recharging all the more comfortable without having to shift all the time to get into a more blissful rest.

He headed over to his desk where his computer monitor rested. Switching it on, he checked to see if he had got any messages from anyone while he had been out racing with his friends. He wasn't surprised that there was none and he switched off, but not before he turned on his music player. He tuned it to his favourite song and found his head bobbing up and down to the beat, thus it made him feel like he was driving down a highway.

**/**_They knock me down and back up again, you're in my blood, I'm not a lonely man. There's no load I can't hold, the road's so rough this I know. I'll be there when the light comes in, just tell them we're_ _survivors.**/**_

He crawled into his recharge berth, the music playing softly next to his cranium. He commanded the lights to dim down to barely a minimum. He set his internal clock to wake him up at 5:00PM, and switched his optics offline. Soon, he was drifting off into a deep, blissful recharge.

_There was screaming, explosions, and plasma blasters blazing. Several Decepticons were chasing humans down a city's street. The humans were screaming, begging for help. Young women dragged their teary children by the hand as they ran for their lives. Men helped the elderly escape to the best of their abilities, ensuring that no one was left behind in the wake of the devastation that was happening around them._

_A ball of yellow plasma flew towards them, and the humans hesitated while screaming in horror._

_Rodimus saw himself leap into the line of fire, taking the blast before it could meet its mark. The mech cried out in pain when he fell to his knees, his cyan optics twitching in agony as his armour burned and smoked from the shot._

_He looked to the humans, his optics pleading as he ordered them to run for their lives. But they didn't move as a feminine Decepticon stood over him and pointed her blaster at his head, the barrel charged to its maximum._

_Rodimus closed his optics, waiting for the end..._

He was suddenly awakened to the sound of his internal clock going off inside his helm, telling him that it was 5:00PM. He groaned and pushed himself upwards. He swung his legs over the berth and picked up an empty data pad, plopping his aft onto a chair and started filling out his report. He somehow felt like he hadn't got enough rest as he was still groggy and exhausted. Heck, even his body felt stiff and sore from the battle that happened in the afternoon.

The report didn't take him long to finish as he added his own signature and picked himself up, heading out his quarters and towards Prowl's office.

He wasn't surprised to find Prowl's office as he guessed that he was still either on duty or was taking care of matters that didn't require his audio receptors to hear. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he placed the data pad on the desk and turned to head out, only to wind up bumping into Prowl right away.

"Good evening, Rodimus," Prowl greeted. "Are you ready for your lesson?"

Rodimus checked his internal clock again and he realised that it was at least 5:30PM, not exactly the right time that they would be taking their lesson to the skies. He shrugged his shoulders and nodded, telling him that he was.

Together, the two headed down the corridors to the shuttle bay.

It was a walk that was in silence, thus leaving Rodimus to his own thoughts. His thoughts drifted to his dream that he had just had not too long ago. Worry filled his tanks, but he promised himself that he would discuss it with Prowl as soon as they were through with the lesson.

A mumbling noise in front of him startled him, causing him to leap backwards and glance down to see Wheeljack fumbling beneath the belly of Shuttle 001. He sighed and shook his head. He should have known that the engineer was busy fixing up the oldest shuttle after it had blown a hydraulic during one of Ironhide's 'magnificent' touchdowns.

"Busy, Wheeljack?" Prowl asked as he looked down upon the pearl white mech.

"Ugh, you have no idea how many times I've had to fix this old bucket of bolts every time Ironhide pulls one of his fancy moves during his landings," Wheeljack grumbled from beneath the shuttle's low belly. "He busted her up again, and it's starting to get on my nerves... and a fraggin' bad habit!"

"We'll leave you to it," Rodimus smirked. "We just need to borrow Shuttle 003 for tonight. Prowl's taking me out for another one of his... lessons."

"Yeah, yeah," Wheeljack answered. "Have fun on your joy flight... Ack, frag it all to the Pit! Drone No.5672, get your aft here! I found the fraggin' leak."

Chuckling, Prowl led Rodimus towards the shuttle that they would be using and took the co-pilot's seat. He motioned to Rodimus to take the captain's seat, which he was only too happy to oblige. He typed in a few commands and logged into the command centre.

"This is Rodimus Prime aboard Shuttle 003, requesting permission to take off."

"_Permission granted, Sir,"_ Bluestreak's voice answered over the com-link. _"Take care out there... wherever it is you're going."_

"Don't worry, Bluestreak," Rodimus smiled. "Where we're going, we won't need Primus to watch over us."

"_Of course, Sir, but it never hurts to wish you well."_

"I understand. Rodimus Prime out."

Prowl typed in something and a bunch of coordinates appeared on the view screen. "This is where we will be going, Rodimus," he told him seriously.

Rodimus nodded and pushed up the throttle that brought the shuttle to life, its engines humming noiselessly. Once he had done that, he adjusted the thrusters and the shuttle slowly rose above the ground. The hanger bay's doors opened, granting them the sky. He then steered the massive hunk of metal, and it turned according to his commands.

Once it was close to the outside world, he set it to cloak mode to hide it from the view of humans, and then ignited the thrusters, sending it hurtling through the sky towards their destination. But as they flew towards the coordinates Prowl had given him, Rodimus' thoughts ended up going towards his dream once again.

He had a feeling deep inside his chest that the Matrix was trying to tell him something, something that was approaching... soon.


	4. Dancing with Swords

I send my deepest apologies to people who have been waiting so anxiously for this chapter. Apparently I've been busy with packing stuff, moving into my new house, unpacking stuff, and then restocking on food supplies and other things for my new home. I've also been on break for my stories due to my earlier submission sprees I've been doing before my break.

But as you can tell, I'm back now and ready to hit the word document again! Yays!

For those that have been waiting for the 6th chapter for Brother My Brother please have some patience with me, as I'm still not quite up to speed. But don't worry, I'll work some more on it when I have time. For now, please enjoy this chapter!

* * *

The flight to the South Pole in the Antarctica had felt like it had taken no more than at least several hours, but it passed by in less than half that time. Rodimus wasn't sure where all that time had disappeared to, but he guessed it was because he had been distracted by his thoughts that made him unable to think properly. That was something Prowl didn't need right now, especially during an important lesson. It was a lesson that may one day save his life.

"Set the shuttle down there, Rodimus," Prowl ordered.

Rodimus complied by shifting the thrusters of the shuttle downwards, lowering it onto the snow-covered ground. The shuttle's thrusters hissed with protest, but did as commanded as Rodimus released the landing gears. It touched down on the ground with a gentle thud and snow crunching beneath its gears. Most of the snow swirled and twisted before fading away into the distance.

"Well done," praised Prowl as he nodded in satisfaction. "Switch off the engine and I'll get everything ready for us to begin our lesson."

"Thanks, Prowl," Rodimus smiled. He watched as Prowl stood up from his seat and headed into the back of the shuttle, leaving him alone with his processor.

Rodimus knew exactly what was going to come next. Though he hated this part of his training, he knew it was for the best. Every fibre of his being screamed at him, telling him to not go through with it, but he pushed it into the back of his mind. He really didn't want to do it, but recalling Optimus' words made him feel much better and calm his nervously pulsing spark.

He could hear Prowl picking through the objects that were hidden away in the shuttle's storage unit. His spinal column tingled that sent a shiver up his back and into the base of his neck. The young Prime bit his bottom lip with frustration and closed his optics, trying to will away his worries.

"It's ready, Rodimus," Prowl's voice called from behind.

Rodimus didn't know what made him freeze up but he didn't care as he picked himself up off his seat – his body felt heavier than it did before – and headed to where Prowl was waiting for him with a small black box clutched carefully in both his hands. Prowl motioned him to sit on the seat in front of him and Rodimus did so without complaint.

Prowl held the strange box in front of Rodimus' face. "Do you recall what this does?" he asked him seriously.

Rodimus nodded, grumbling, "Yes. The device you're holding is the Soundwave Box, named after the Communications Officer of the Decepticons, who invented it to be used as a torturing device. Though this one is the less harmful version used to train Autobots to withstand torturing devices. It produces false images inside the processor and false feeling in the sensors to make it hurt."

He let off another sigh.

"I don't like having to go through with this three times a week now... I know it's for my own good, but..." He shivered lightly, his armour rattling slightly. "Damn it, Prowl, I'm scared out of my fucking mind!"

A gentle hand rested upon his shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze, which ceased Rodimus' rattling. "Rodimus," Prowl said sternly, but not unkindly, "I hate teaching this as much as you do. Having to train young Autobots on how to withstand torture long enough for other Autobots to rescue them is a difficult job. However it's my duty as vice commander to protect my Prime at all costs. I'd do anything to protect my Prime, even if I have to go against his wishes."

"I understand, Prowl," Rodimus replied softly, nodding.

"Good," Prowl said. Then his face grew serious. "Now, can you recall to me what we practised last week?"

Rodimus groaned as he dug deep into his processor on what they had done last week. Despite his nervousness and insecurity about doing this lesson, it wasn't exactly very hard to think about it. It took him no more than a minute to explain that they had practised on.

He explained to Prowl that they had been working on slowing down spark rates whenever the device was used. Slowing down the spark rate was the key to everything, and if it went over the normal rate, then Soundwave would no doubt win and break the processor of any Transformer.

"Impressive," Prowl smiled slightly. "We are going to be practising that again, and then increase the frequency of the box by placing these nodes in several places."

He placed the box down on the floor and showed Rodimus the nodes that he was going to use. There were four nodes and each one was attached to a cable that led to the black box: two were blue and the other two were red. Prowl then placed the red nodes on the sides of Rodimus' helm, and the blue nodes on either side of his chest plate.

"By adjusting these nodes," explained Prowl, "I can control your spark rate and feelings. I can even produce false images inside your processor, even make you feel what you are seeing. Now, do what we did last week by lowering your spark rate."

Rodimus did as ordered and closed his optics, drawing in deep breaths that slowly calmed down his normally pulsing spark. It soon grew to a slow, steady pulse that was beyond normal. It was far more quickly done than what Prowl was used to seeing. Once again, he was impressed by the adapting body of the youngling. No, he couldn't call Rodimus a youngling anymore, not when he had earned his place amongst the Autobot ranks and had been given the title of Prime by Optimus himself.

It had been thanks to Rodimus' heroic acts that he had given Optimus a fighting chance to live and still be amongst the friends that he knew and love. Without Rodimus, the Autobots would have been a blubbering mess, and would have been leaderless and powerless to protect each other, even if their leader had been dead and Rodimus didn't come back.

The slow, pulsing of Rodimus' spark indicated that it was under control.

"Very good," Prowl smiled. "Now, I will adjust the frequency slightly, produce false images inside your processor, and set your feelings to fear. Remember the routine, Rodimus. If it gets too much for you to bear, just tell me when to stop. Do you understand?"

Rodimus nodded once again.

As Prowl did this, Rodimus felt images flashing across his vision. He struggled to control his spark rate, attempting to push the false images away from him, and trying to keep his growing fear at bay. He couldn't afford to let Prowl know that it was beginning to edge deep inside his processor. He gritted his dental plates tightly and closed his optics, his body grew tense and his hands gripped tightly on the floor, leaving severe dent marks.

He could see visions of himself holding the body of Tracy as she began to die at the hands of the human virus. He heard Arcee screaming and saw her body arching completely as her armour began to crack and creak before she exploded into tiny, byzantine pieces.

"Arcee!" Rodimus screamed at the top of his vocal processor. "No, no, no!"

"Lower your spark rate and push away the visions now!" Prowl's voice snapped through the blurred audio feed.

"I-I can't!" Rodimus cried as more images of those he loved began to die one by one inside his cranium. "Prowl, stop it! Stop it!"

As soon as he spoke those words, the images stopped being produced and his fear had been turned to joy and excitement. He felt his vocal processor let out a pathetic whimper as he curled up into a ball. He could hear Prowl's voice gently speaking into his audio receptors, telling him that he was racing across the Bonneville Salt Flats with his friends. Different images flashed across his vision, and they were not of those he loved dying... rather they were of himself racing alongside Bumblebee, Arcee, and Sideswipe.

The feeling of racing calmed his spark and soon the images faded away and he could see Prowl was kneeled beside him on the floor and had placed comforting hands upon his shoulders. These hands gave Rodimus the strength that he needed to calm his racing spark and his breathing became tired and exhausted.

"You did well to tell me to stop," Prowl said kindly. "Not many Autobots last this long during this part of their training."

"H-how long was I like this?" Rodimus asked worriedly.

"The session went for over an hour and a half," the black and white mech answered as he picked the nodes off of Rodimus. He then wrapped them up around the box and placed it beneath the seat behind Rodimus. He approached him again and rubbed his helm gently. "You did very well."

"I did?"

Prowl nodded. "It was your first time going through this part of your training," he answered with a smile. "Usually most Autobots end up as a blubbering mess on the floor and practically beg me to turn off the box. Again, I have to praise you for trying your best to push away the visions and controlling your spark rate."

Rodimus bowed his head, looking at the floor. He had lasted over an hour and a half? Usually he lasted during the sessions for only fifteen minutes or less, but now he has gone beyond his own limit for the first time since he had started. It actually felt really good to know that he had achieved a goal at last. The next goal he was aiming for, he hoped to go beyond at least four hours or more. Anything more and he would be eternally grateful for Prowl's sessions.

The day's events finally caught up with him again, and Rodimus was beyond exhausted from the session. He finally discovered his breathing had become laboured, and beads of oil were dripping down the sides of his helm. Prowl seemed to notice this and he helped Rodimus sit back down on the seat.

"You have to pace yourself more carefully, Rodimus," he said with a tiny hint of amusement in his tone. He then frowned slightly. "Have you been getting enough recharge lately?"

Rodimus sighed, "Yeah. I'm just tired from today. The battle caught up with me earlier in the afternoon after I had returned to base. I recharged on the way home and got some more rest like Ratchet wanted me to. I just don't think I'm quite fully adjusted to this life as Prime."

"I completely understand how you feel," Prowl said. "Getting used to the routine of being the Autobot leader is a difficult thing to get used to."

"Now you tell me..." Rodimus groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration. He quickly regained his composure as he recalled the dream that he had last night. "Prowl, I have something to tell you. It's... about a dream I had last night."

Prowl lifted an optic ridge, but he remained silent, giving his Prime his undivided attention.

Rodimus described everything that he could about his dream. He told Prowl about how he saw the humans running and screaming from incoming blasts from Decepticons. He even told about how he saw himself spot a ball of plasma heading towards a small group of humans, and then he leaped in before the line of fire. He even described the plasma that had burned his armour, and he had felt the pain as he collapsed right in front of the humans, screaming in agony. He then went on to explain about the femme Decepticon that stomped up to him and aimed her blaster at his head, charging it up to its maximum.

When he had finished, the look on Prowl's face was enough to tell him that this was a serious situation. He had his head bowed and seemed to be in deep thought before he raised his head and looked Rodimus dead in the optics. "Were you able to tell what the name of the city was?"

"I don't know," Rodimus answered solemnly. "I can't exactly remember what the city was like. It was all a blur."

Prowl nodded and he stood up to his full height. "Get some recharge, Rodimus," he said. "I'll fly the shuttle home."

He turns to leave and is about to reach the pilot seat when Rodimus' voice stops him dead in his tracks. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the young Prime curled up on the long chair with a serious expression upon his face. "I'd like you to meet me in my office tomorrow morning, Prowl," he told him.

Prowl lifted an optic ridge. "What do you mean by that?" he questioned.

But Rodimus never got a chance to answer as he was already in deep recharge. Prowl smiled and sighed deeply, "Rest well, Rodimus." He then took his seat and began to pilot the shuttle back home to the Autobot base.

* * *

Rodimus had been so deep in his recharge that he didn't even detect his internal clock telling him to wake up until the slight pinging noise in his right audio receptor turned to a piercing wail that startled him. He bolted upright and accidentally banged his head against the wall, earning a pained yelp from his vocal processor. He was definitely going to be having a dent for the rest of the day, unless Ratchet noticed it banged it out for him.

Rubbing his head painfully and sitting up, Rodimus switched on his optics and discovered that he wasn't on the shuttle, but rather he was in his quarters and sitting on the edge of his berth. How in the Allspark did he get here?

He thought about it for a moment. The last thing he remembered was passing out on the shuttle. Everything else was nothing but darkness. Although he could recall how he was being lifted by someone who could lift anyone with ease, then being gently placed upon a flat surface and covered up by something soft.

He glanced down and found a thermal blanket lying on his lap. Someone had indeed placed him in his quarters while he had been deeply recharging, however it was probably best he didn't question it. His best guess that it was Prowl who had done it, but he wasn't sure.

Rubbing his forehead as he tried to clear some of the images that he had received during his training with Prowl, he helped himself to a cube of energon, sipping it in one go and placing it in the waste disposal bin. He felt his doorwings twitch anxiously as he hopped into the shower and began cleansing himself in order to clear his processor to start the day.

Although the warm soap suds felt relaxing to his soft protoform beneath his armour, it didn't feel as nice compared to the massages that the humans would give to him when they washed his vehicle form in a carwash. He finished off the shower and stepped out to dry himself off with a towel, adding a touch of polish and downing another cube of energon, then heading off towards his office.

He wasn't sure if it was a good idea or not to head down there at a time like this, but he had told Arcee, Bumblebee, Prowl, and Sideswipe to meet him there first thing in the morning as soon as they were able to. Along the way to his destination, he bowed his head in greeting to several Autobots. Many of them greeted him with a smile or a 'good morning, Sir' and moving onwards to do their duty. Rodimus hoped with all his spark that everything would go well in this little meeting, as it was urgent.

He finally arrived at his office without any hassle, taking his seat and then com-linking Bumblebee and Sideswipe to come over at once just as Arcee and Prowl arrived. They were early, but he didn't mind at all. He gestured to the two to sit in their chairs. Arcee sat down, but Prowl remained standing by folding his arms across his chest and leaned against the wall with a stern expression on his face plates.

"Rodimus, what's going on?" Arcee questioned, raising an optic ridge.

But the young Prime refused to answer. He would rather wait until Bumblebee and Sideswipe arrived. Instead, he replied, "Please have patience, Arcee. As soon as Bumblebee and Sideswipe arrive, I cannot say anything."

"In that case, while we wait, I thought I should let you know as to why Starscream and his group of Decepticons attacked you," Prowl said, earning a look of surprise from both Rodimus and Arcee.

"Could you please explain, Prowl?" Rodimus frowned.

The black and white mech nodded and explained, "The other officers and I debated in last night's meeting on why the Decepticons would suddenly attack you. From the way they were fighting and drawing you away from your friends and kept them distracted, we think they may be trying to take or kill you."

"You think that's the possibility?" Arcee asked.

Prowl nodded. "I am absolutely certain."

Arcee covered her mouth with her hand, hiding a gasp behind her digits. Rodimus sensed her worry and mentally wished that he could do something to ease it down. However, that wasn't the reason why he had called this meeting between the five of them. There were more important things to discuss about.

"Then this is why I called you and the others to this meeting," Rodimus sighed. "But I will explain when Bumblebee and Sideswipe arrive."

"Speaking of the pit spawns," Prowl chuckled as two said mechs arrived and took their seats in front of Rodimus' desk. Prowl then glanced over to Rodimus and nodded for him to speak.

Nodding his appreciation, the young Prime cleared his vocal processor. "I apologise to you all for taking you away from your duties," he began, "but ever since Arcee, Bumblebee, Sideswipe, and I were attacked by Starscream yesterday, Prowl and the other officers have been suspicious on what they're really up to. From what Prowl has explained to me before Bumblebee and Sideswipe arrived, the 'Cons may be attempting to take or kill me as soon as possible due to the spreading rumours of Optimus no longer leading the Autobots."

Bumblebee and Sideswipe chatted quietly to each other and Rodimus could detect their worry in their tones. This was going to make their job as his guardians more complicated than ever. He rubbed his forehead to clear some of the frustration that was building up in the back of his processor, his chest heaving as he exhaled deeply.

Prowl went from stoic to a frown. "Is this the reason why you called the meeting?" he asked seriously.

Rodimus nodded. "Yes," he answered. "I wish to create a group of Autobots that will go with me during patrol and act as my guards."

For a moment, neither Autobot said a word as both Arcee and Bumblebee had a look of surprise on their faces. No one was sure what to do in regards to Rodimus' request. However, both Sideswipe and Prowl remained completely unreadable with their usual emotionless facial expressions that they were famous for, but Rodimus could tell that they were just as surprised as Bumblebee and Arcee. But then Rodimus noticed how the two older warriors were glancing at each other and nodding their heads, their optics twisting and turning with their emotions. From what Rodimus knew, it seemed that they were communicating over their private com-links. Were they discussing about his idea and are they going to agree with him?

Finally, Sideswipe and Prowl turn to look back at Rodimus and then nod their heads in agreement. "We've decided that it's a good idea," Prowl answered. "But we've decided to not add myself, Bumblebee, and Sideswipe, as we have our own teams to look after."

"However," spoke up Sideswipe, "we thought we could have Ironhide be part of you and Arcee."

Rodimus raised an optic ridge. "What made you decide to put Ironhide on the team?" he asked.

"Because Ironhide has the necessary firepower to take down a Decepticon," explained Prowl. "He is accurate with his shots and rarely misses; he's also got armour that is tough enough to deflect simple plasma shots. He would make an excellent bodyguard for you, Rodimus, even though he is one of Optimus' guardians."

The young Prime leaned back in his chair and placed a thoughtful hand beneath his chin, thinking deeply and hard. Having Ironhide on this team would prove to be a huge advantage on the battlefield. He was tough, strong, reliable, loyal, and takes his job seriously, even though he does have a dirty vocal processor. But he would be a great influence for both Rodimus and Arcee.

"Very well," Rodimus said. "Ironhide would be a valuable asset to the team. Is there anyone else we should add?"

"Yes," said Sideswipe. "You would need air support that would be able to watch your flanks from the sky."

"Who do you suggest?"

Prowl's lips formed into a knowing smile. "We have the best solution and that is... Springer."

Horror flashed between Arcee and Rodimus as the two younger Autobots struggled to grapple what Prowl was suggesting. Was he not filled in when Springer and Rodimus had a fight several days before the race? Rodimus still remembered clearly on the day when Springer had marched up to him in the middle of his shooting spar with Ironhide, he had called him a pathetic leader and that he was not good enough to have Arcee. Rodimus had attempted to walk away, but then Springer had unexpectedly attacked him. Rodimus merely defended himself until Ironhide had pulled Springer aside and had Prowl toss him into the brig for 24 hours to calm down.

Springer still hadn't apologised for what he had done. Instead, he had been acting sourly whenever he was around Rodimus. From what he had heard from Arcee, the byzantine femme had argued with Springer, telling him to leave Rodimus alone and that there was nothing going on between her and Rodimus. The dark green mech had been bitter for the several days, and that incident after the fight with the Decepticons only proved that he was still bitter about it.

"Prowl, are you serious?!" demanded Rodimus angrily.

"Neither Springer nor Rodimus get along at all," Arcee agreed with a furious look on her face plates. "Why would you suggest Springer when all it causes is misery for the both of us?"

"I'm sorry," Prowl apologised. "There was no one else available and Springer is the only triple-changer who is capable of helping you both on the ground and in the air. Do not worry, Ironhide will have strict orders to keep him in check in case you two have another fight again. Plus it will help strengthen the bond of trust between all of you."

Rodimus looked at Arcee and he could detect that her body temperature was above a few Kelvin. He knew she was angry and worried about Springer causing trouble on the team, but there was no other choice and there was nothing they could do. Arcee looked down regrettably, avoiding optic contact with everyone, and Rodimus let off a breath. They nodded, letting Prowl know that they agreed with him, even if they didn't like it at all.

"Prowl, let Ironhide and Springer know at once and we will head out for their first patrol as soon as the next team gets back from their shift," Rodimus ordered.

"Yes, Sir," Prowl nodded and left.

With the meeting over Rodimus found the need to relieve his tensed up muscle cables by banging his head on his desk, surprising his friends. They had obviously never seen their young friend so exhausted and uncertain about what he was doing before.

Sideswipe took that as an opportunity to speak up. He came around the desk and gently placed a hand upon Rodimus' shoulder. "Hot Rod," he said gently, using the young mech's old name for the first time in two months, "I understand how you feel, but sometimes you just have to accept the fact that things will never be the same for you again. This is what you were meant to be, youngling, and there's no going back."

Rodimus looked up at his stoic guardian and nodded. "I know, Sides, I know. I just... wish things didn't have to be like this for me. It's hard enough being a Prime, and Prowl has already got his hands full with doing my job until I feel that I'm ready to take it on."

He sighed with frustration.

"In that case," spoke up Bumblebee, "why don't we do something for the rest of the day."

"Like what?" the young mech questioned.

"Would you be willing to have a sparring match with me?" Sideswipe asked as he roughly tapped Rodimus on the top of his helm, earning a groan of annoyance from him. "I have no training sessions with the younglings today, and I think it would be best if you showed me what you have learned over the past two months."

Rodimus smiled and nodded. "Of course, Sides," he replied as he stood up, his miserable mood forgotten. "I'd give anything just do something that doesn't involve crap like this."

Sideswipe laughed, gently slapping the young Prime on the back in between his doorwings as Bumblebee took a step closer, his cyan optics twinkling with amusement. "Do you mind if Arcee and I watched?" he asked. "I would love to see how much you've both improved over the past two months."

"I have no problem with it if Sideswipe doesn't mind," said Rodimus, looking towards his friend.

Sideswipe smiled. "Of course you guys can watch, just as long as there are no distractions and that you remain on the sidelines."

"We perfectly understand, Sides," Arcee smiled, looking to Bumblebee with a serious look on her faceplates. "No distractions, right, Bee?"

The yellow mech chuckled and waved a hand, his cheeks lifting slightly, forming his famous smile. He lifts a hand and makes the Vulcan peace sign with his digits. "We swear to not interfere, Sides," he promised. "We'll remain silent and out of the way."

Rodimus wasn't sure whether to laugh or to roll his optics. He was somehow regretting ever showing Bumblebee _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ series. Bumblebee had started picking up some of the lines and gestures, thinking it was funny to use, but he only ever did it whenever he was in the presence of his friends.

Instead, the young Prime merely shook his head and gestured to Sideswipe to lead the way. Sideswipe seemed to get the hint and quickly departed with Rodimus, Bumblebee, and Arcee following close behind.

* * *

The trip to the training room didn't take as long as Rodimus had expected. They arrived within a matter of minutes with no one to hassle them along the way, and he wondered if someone had asked everyone to leave them alone while they were heading down there. Whatever the reason was, he couldn't think about it now as he watched Sideswipe move to the far end of the room, folding his arms across his chest and looking Rodimus square in the optics.

Rodimus knew a challenge when he saw one. Sideswipe seemed eager to test out his skills in order to see how far he had come in the past two months. Well, Rodimus was just as eager to show off what he knew and wipe the floor of his teacher, guardian, and friend. He stood on the opposite side of Sideswipe, his head held high with confidence. However, he knew that he shouldn't get ahead of himself. Sideswipe was far more skilful with swords than he was, and considering how the many times he had wiped the floor with his aft in the past, it would not be wise to get too cocky.

Arcee and Bumblebee moved to the sidelines and sat down on a bench to watch without distracting the mechs.

When they're comfortable, Sideswipe immediately brings out his famous twin Cybertanium swords. He looks confidently at the sharp, silver blades that are covered with black Cybertronian markings, markings that mean the entire world to him. Rodimus didn't understand why they meant a lot to his teacher, but he knew that someday Sideswipe would tell him. The only ones who knew about Sideswipe's past were Bumblebee, Ironhide, Prowl, and Optimus.

"Bring out the big guns, Rodimus," Sideswipe smirked, a digit sliding over the blunt side of his right sword. "I'd like to see what you can do."

"As you wish," Rodimus chuckled. He took a step backwards and closed his optics, concentrating on the energy that lied within him. Once he grasped the energy that he needed, he then willed his left arm to transform into his blade, followed by his right. He heard the gasps of shock from his friends and he instantly recalled how they hadn't seen his new transformation yet. "Surprised?" he teased, sneaking a glance at Arcee and Bumblebee.

"When did that happen?" Bumblebee asked. "I thought Optimus and Sideswipe were the only ones capable of producing two swords at the same time."

"Oh," Rodimus laughed sheepishly, blushing with embarrassment. "I was training on my own with my sword against a drone a couple of weeks after I became Prime, when I just suddenly felt the need to slice the thing up so badly after it beat me a couple of times. Then, the next thing I knew, my other hand transformed into the right blade and I ended up destroying the drone. I think I surprised it and took advantage of it by slicing all of its limbs off."

"Wow," Arcee smiled, "now you'll be able to match Sideswipe in combat."

"We'll see about that," Sideswipe chuckled, amused as he got into a fighting stance. "I hope you've been practising, Rodimus, because I'm not going to go easy on you."

"Nor will I," Rodimus shot back.

For a moment, neither Sideswipe nor Rodimus moved. Both mechs eyed each other suspiciously, waiting for either opponent to make the first move. Rodimus could detect the tension in the air as he wondered if Sideswipe would lose patience. However, he remembered that the silver mech had an unlimited amount of patience, and he would last forever if he had to.

The moment turned to a minute and still neither mech moved a muscle cable nor a hydraulic.

Bumblebee and Arcee glanced at each other worriedly, both instantly knowing who's patience was going to wear out if they kept on staring at each other.

Without warning, Rodimus finally charged a little hectically towards Sideswipe, right blade raised above his head slightly. This was what Sideswipe had been waiting for, and as the sword came down, he countered with his left blade by crossing it in front of his face, surprising Rodimus. He then pushed him backwards, causing him to stumble on his pedes a little which provided the advantage that Sideswipe needed to lash out quickly at his head with the blunt side of his right sword. But Rodimus was able to defend himself, lowering his right arm and blocking the attack. He then raised his other arm to hack at his leg, but Sideswipe deflected it with ease.

"Not bad, youngling," Sideswipe mused, their faces now inches away from each other. "You've got a lot better in your art of combat in the past two months."

"You're not so bad yourself, Sides," Rodimus complimented. "I didn't think I would get this far in fighting like this without your help. Someday, I hope to surpass you."

"That," replies Sideswipe casually, "is a dream that will take many ano-cycles to master. By the time you learn how to be a proper fighter; I would have got a lot stronger by then. It will be a long while before you can be able to master sword fighting and become my equal."

"There's always a first time," Rodimus grinned, surprising Sideswipe. He pushed his head forward, his forehead connecting with the other's own. He heard Sideswipe cry out with surprise and saw him grab his head with pain. Though he could have sworn both Bumblebee and Arcee were wincing at his move.

A slight wave of pain hit him in the front section of his head, but he quickly shook it off as he took advantage of Sideswipe's distraction. He performed an uppercut, though Sideswipe was prepared as he took a few steps backwards, the blade missing his chest by a mere fraction of human inches. Sideswipe then countered with a knee into his midsection, winding Rodimus for a moment that cost him dearly.

Rodimus coughed as his teacher knocked him on the back of his head with the blunt edge of his sword, causing him to fall to the ground on his back. Rodimus became dazed and confused. His vision was blurry and it was swirling in different directions. He couldn't focus as he spotted a hazy, silver figure standing over him. His HUD told him that it was Sideswipe he was looking at, but he couldn't concentrate.

"It seems like I have won, youngling," Sideswipe's voice spoke coolly through his impaired hearing. He then pointed his sword at Rodimus' main energon line. "Do you surrender?"

"Rodimus," Arcee called out to him, "don't give up!"

"Yeah, youngling, don't give up!" Bumblebee spoke up as well.

That lifted his mood sky high as Rodimus glanced up at Sideswipe with a smirk upon his lips. "I'm not out of the game yet!" he smirked as he took a swipe at his opponent's sword that was aimed at his neck, forcing Sideswipe to take a step back and allowing him to get back onto his pedes.

Arcee sighed with relief as she sat back in her seat, continuing to watch the fight with excitement. She hadn't noticed she had been staring at Rodimus for so long until she realised Bumblebee was staring at her. "What?" she questioned.

"Nothing," her friend smiled, shaking his head. "I've just never seen you so keen to see Rodimus kick Sideswipe's aft. You and I both know that he can never match him in this form of combat. It took Sideswipe many ano-cycles to master it with Optimus passing on the basics to him."

"I know, Bee," she sighed, her optics never leaving the spar between the combatants. She winced when Rodimus got a little nick on his side. "But someday the student will eventually surpass the master. Skyfire taught me and Springer that long ago."

"And he's not wrong," Bumblebee agreed. "Skyfire is wiser than you think. Always listen to what he has to tell you, as it may one day save your life."

But Arcee was no longer paying attention to her friend's words. Her optics never once strayed far from Rodimus as he clashed with his teacher. She had never seen him move so gracefully before. The way how his body danced across the room like an Australian brolga as he dodged Sideswipe's vicious attacks, how his cyan optics burned with that raw determination and stubbornness he was famous for, and how he flexed his arms as he countered the incoming swipes with a simple motion.

The byzantine femme felt a smile pull onto her lips. Rodimus had become a natural fighter with his swords thanks to Sideswipe's wonderful teaching and practising on his own. Despite it had only been seven months since he had joined the Autobots and started his training, he was finally getting the hang of it.

"Oh Primus," Bumblebee suddenly cried, shocking Arcee from out of her thoughts.

She watched in surprise as Sideswipe performed an uppercut with his sword that slashed across Rodimus' right optic, a tiny splash of energon falling onto the floor a short distance away. Sideswipe then used the blunt edge of his sword again by knocking Rodimus to the floor. This time, he didn't get up. She could see that he was beyond exhausted and there were beads of oil dripping from the sides of his helm.

Rodimus gasped, attempting to suck in as much oxygen as he could possibly draw in. He could feel the slight stinging sensation from where Sideswipe had hit him and a small trail of energon coated his right optic's vision. The bleeding stopped pretty quickly and he realised that the minor injury was absolutely tiny enough for his body to close it up without any problems.

He could sense Sideswipe standing over him and his sword pointing directly at him. He raised an arm at his teacher, indicating that he couldn't go on anymore. Sideswipe transformed his blades back into his hands and offered one to him, which he was only too glad to accept.

"You fought well, Rodimus," Sideswipe says, shaking his hand. "But you still need more practise. You would need at least another few more human years before you're truly a master at sword combat."

Rodimus nodded. "Thanks for the spar, Sides. I really enjoyed it."

"You're welcome," his teacher smiled, then he pointed at the small cut on his forehead. "You might want to get Ratchet to check on that little nick I gave you."

"Nah, it's nothing, Sides. It doesn't hurt at all."

Arcee trotted up alongside him with Bumblebee. "Never mind, Roddy, I'll walk with you," she said eagerly, taking Rodimus' hand.

She began escorting him out before he could protest against the matter. He could take care of himself, but since Arcee was a friend, he decided to let it go just this once. He waved goodbye to Bumblebee – who waved back – and Sideswipe.

As they walked in silence, Rodimus felt Arcee let go of his hand and he noticed a slight tinge of red forming on her cheeks. But he forced himself to push it aside until she spoke in a quiet voice that surprised him. "You did an amazing job there, Rodimus," she smiled warmly.

Rodimus could have sworn that he felt his cheeks warming up a little bit, earning a laugh from his friend. "Thanks, Arcee," he told her. "But I have to thank Sideswipe for passing on the skills that I need if I am to face Megatron someday."

Arcee looked a little bit sad when Rodimus mentioned this. He attempted to put her mind at ease, but she changed the subject. "Would you like to join me in the recreation room sometime this afternoon after your shift?" she asked.

He felt his spark tingle excitedly for a strange reason, but he quickly pushed it aside like he always did. These strange feelings were unusual for him whenever he was around Arcee, and every time he felt it, he denied whatever it was and forced himself to keep on going. "I'd like that, Arcee," he answered.

She smiled happily as they stopped in the middle of the corridors, their optics locking onto each other's for a moment. However, that moment felt like an eternity to Rodimus. Why was he always feeling this way whenever he was around her? It felt so odd, so strange, and so... frightening. He once again swallowed the feeling and opened his mouth to say something, but he couldn't muster the strength to get his vocal processor working. Arcee seemed a little bit disappointed by it, but she kept on smiling before she pressed her lips against his cheek and left without another word.

Rodimus watched her go for a long while as she continued to head down the corridors until she disappeared around the corner. He merely shook his head, getting out of his daze as his com-link buzzed.

"_Rodimus, where are you?"_ Optimus' deep baritone speaks through his audio receptors. He sounded a bit angry._ "You're late for your shift."_

"Oh shit!" Rodimus yelped. "I'm sorry, Optimus! I got a little sidetracked. I'm heading down there now. Try not to get your cables in a twist."

He heard a satisfying groan of annoyance from Optimus, who sounded like he was about to throw a comeback at him. Rodimus decided it was best that he cut off the com-link before Optimus decided to get worse than he already was. He then dashed off to the command centre as quickly as he could in case all the officers blew a gasket.

Life was never dull when he was around, and he was going to continue to make sure it never did.

* * *

Up next, we find out what the Decepticons have been up to. ;)


	5. Shadows on the Horizon

Can I just say I'm very, very, very sorry for this long delay of this chapter? Apparently so much has happened in the past couple of months, it's been nothing but hell for me. Working (AT LAST!), dealing with extremely personal issues and life as we know it. It's been really stressful for me, and I guess it made me forget about everything.

Again, I am truly, truly sorry for letting my life get in the way of writing... I'll try not to let it happen again... I hope I haven't lost my beloved readers out there. Just know that I am still alive and kicking! 3

* * *

"Megatron isn't going to be happy that we failed, Starscream," Vortex growled viciously to the larger Decepticon he sat beside aboard the shuttlecraft. "You'd think he'd have our databanks crushed by now for the number of times we've been unable to even grasp a digit on that little glitch."

"I am fully aware of it, Vortex!" Starscream snapped weakly, his grasp on the control sticks tightening. How many times must they keep on going through with this torture?

Every time Megatron ordered Starscream to take a group of Decepticons and try to capture Rodimus Prime, they had always ended it failure. This was the third time they had come up with a whole lot of nothing. Now Megatron was sure to terminate him on the spot for the number of times he had returned to base without the youngling. It was going to be difficult to avoid his anger now. He would rather suffer at the hands of Optimus rather than Megatron himself.

"Trying to think of a way to worm your way out of this again, Screamer?" Thundercracker teased menacingly from the back. "I'd like to see you try."

"Shut up!" Starscream snarled.

Snickering was heard from behind, but Starscream decided to ignore them. He was in a foul enough mood to even want to go far enough to just murder one of them in their recharge. Besides, he decided it was best that he saved his strength for whatever Megatron had in mind for him when they got back to base. That is... if Megatron was even around to dish out his punishment.

Thinking about returning to their station without the youngling made him cringe in disgust. To have a filthy Autobot in their grasp would certainly make any Decepticon shiver. No doubt Rodimus was pure to the core of his spark and had never once in his life faced Megatron on the battlefield. This obviously made Starscream think more closely on what the youngling knew in his fighting skills.

From an experienced warrior's point of view, he could see that Rodimus was a complete amateur. He always relied on the other Autobots to bail him out of situations he got himself into, especially the tough ones. Not to mention that he and that femme shared a bond, a bond that could easily be broken if the right buttons were pushed. Whatever lessons Rodimus had learned, they would not be enough to prepare him for the darkest corners of war.

Just thinking about the youngling begging for mercy was enough to make Starscream grin maliciously.

"What are you grinning about, Starscream?" Thundercracker snorted, raising an optic ridge. "I hope you're not thinking about trying to avoid what Megatron has planned for you when you report to him what had happened. You know that it's impossible to do it."

Starscream glanced at him over his shoulder. "And you would know this how?" he asked.

"I've seen the way you do things to avoid Megatron's wrath," Vortex said.

"You don't know Megatron like I do," Starscream replied coolly, turning back to the controls. "If you play your cards well, you are bound to avoid anything."

There was a cold wave of silence that followed as the shuttle drew closer to their destination – Mars. Ever since they had lost the _Nemesis_ two months ago, the Decepticons had forced themselves into hiding. Under the command of Megatron, they had regrouped on Mars and took whatever materials they needed from the wreckage along with them. In a desperate attempt, Megatron had ordered for several troops stationed on a Decepticon controlled planet called Erebos. By the end of the past two months, they had at least a thousand troops.

Starscream wondered why Megatron hadn't decided to just go and attack the Autobots while they were still low on troops and energon, but he didn't question his leader's motives. Whatever Megatron decided was bound to lead to trouble.

The trip hadn't taken as long as Starscream had thought. He must have been too busy thinking of what to come up with in his ongoing streak of staying well away from a pissed off Megatron.

Grumbling, he typed in a command, opening a channel to the base in Green Valley. "This is Starscream calling in Mars Base."

At first there was no response until there was a cold, emotionless reply. _"This is Soundwave replying to Starscream. Was your mission a success?"_

A snicker was heard from behind him, but he ignored it. No doubt they were wondering how he was going to worm his way out this situation. "No, we were unable to capture the youngling no thanks to these imbeciles behind me. We lost Blast Off and Ramjet because they were too stupid to follow my orders. Thrust was gravely injured along with myself."

A long, lasting wave of coldness made its way down Starscream's spinal column, but he wisely pushed it aside. Soundwave would be just as disappointed as Megatron no doubt, and he couldn't show just much his coldness was affecting him. He frowned at the thought of what Soundwave must be thinking right now.

"_Megatron will not be pleased of your third attempt of failure, Starscream,"_ Soundwave rumbled over the com-link. _"You and I both know how much he wants that pathetic youngling out of the picture."_

"We all want that youngling dead as much as you do," Starscream growled impatiently. "Now are you going to grant us permission to land or do I have to blow a hole in the ground to make room?"

Silence followed for a moment before Soundwave sighed over the com-link and answered, _"Permission granted, Starscream. You may land in the shuttle bay. But be warned when you give your report to Megatron. He's... busy."_

Was that hesitation Starscream detected in Soundwave's voice? He dismissed it for the moment. He had a feeling he knew what Megatron was up to right now. "Fine, just tell him the news yourself about what happened," he huffs. "No doubt he'll not be happy with me regardless of the report. Starscream out."

Again, Starscream could hear the snickering behind him. He felt his hands clench tightly on the control sticks. A part of him wanted nothing more than to wipe those smirks off their faces, but he pushed them aside so that he could concentrate on landing the shuttle in its resting place. It touched down with a whirring, hissing noise and he opened its hatch to let the other Decepticons out.

He stood up from his seat and approached Thundercracker as Skywarp and Vortex dragged the unconscious Thrust towards the base. Thundercracker paused in midstride and waited for the larger Decepticon to approach him. Starscream stared at him long and hard, forcing him to look away with fear.

"I expected more from you during the battle, Thundercracker," he snarled, his clawed hands forming into fists. "You said that you could handle whatever the youngling threw at you, but just like your brother – Skywarp – you failed once again."

"Look, Starscream," Thundercracker scowled, tilting his head downwards slightly, "I know what you're going to do after Soundwave reports to Megatron what has happened. You're going to try and worm your way out of it and pin the blame on us. You were the one who took on the youngling head to head and ordered us to gun him down to give you an advantage. Pft, I'd like to see you try and get out of this one."

"What does it matter to you, Thundercracker?" Starscream asked.

"Unlike you," Thundercracker replies casually, "Skywarp and I look out for each other because we're brothers. Even though we fight, we still have the circuitry to admit that we care about one another, but not out loud. No Decepticon should show that they are weak in front of the other. You should probably consider what it's like to have a loved one. It may change you for the better or for the worse."

"Listen here, you idiot," the larger mech growled, jabbing a digit into Thundercracker's chest plate, "you do not show you love someone in the Decepticons. Love is for the weak and the foolish. If I so much as even see or even hear you mutter the 'l' word, consider yourself in the scrapheap. Got it?"

Thundercracker waved a dismissive hand, snorting with disgust. "Whatever."

Before Starscream could say another word, Thundercracker turned and walked away, leaving him with a stupefied look on his faceplates. Pah! What did Thundercracker know about caring? Love was completely meaningless! He snorted with disgust as he stormed back into the base, mentally brewing his usual scheme to figure out what he was to do about when Megatron decided to pay him a visit for his misgivings.

* * *

The warm afterglow from the effects of interfacing finally wore off from Megatron as he stirred from his recharge. Beneath him lay the petite form of his chosen sparkmate – Thunderblast. At least several Earth hours ago, Megatron had decided to bond with her in reward for her efforts back on one of the Decepticon bases known as Charr. By ordering Soundwave to not bother him, even if the base was suddenly attacked, he left him in charge and carried Thunderblast straight to his quarters.

There he had bonded with her and interfaced with her all through the night. Since the session was over, they had both fallen into deep recharge. Now here Megatron was with the most dangerous and most sexiest femme in his optics. No one else had strived to get his attention like she had. No one had worked as hard as she had to satisfy the need for power. Oh, Thunderblast could be dangerous if she wanted to, but Megatron would ensure that he would remind her that she would never be his equal, even in the distant future.

He could sense her lustful feelings deep within the core of his spark and he had to smirk at it. Even in her recharge, she was still dangerous.

A pinging noise happened from the sidelines.

He growled menacingly and he slammed a fist down on the intercom, snapping, "What is it Soundwave?! I told you not to interrupt me while I was busy!"

Thunderblast's optics illuminated in the gloom, her body jumping slightly as Megatron answered the call. He ignored her as he waited impatiently for Soundwave, fury leaking through the newly created sparklink.

"_I apologise for the interruption, my lord,"_ Soundwave replied, _"but you told me not to interrupt you unless it was important, and this is important."_

"Well, spit it out!"

"_Starscream has returned from Earth with his squad without the youngling,"_ Soundwave continued, seemingly ignoring Megatron's angered tone._ "It has been a failing once again."_

Absolute anger soared through the roof of Megatron's internal structure. He could have sworn that he felt Thunderblast tremble beneath his enormous body, but he ignored her. He was not in the mood to deal with her fear because she was going to have to get used to his outbursts whenever a failing happened. Failure was one thing, but Starscream and that word were not a very good combination.

"Send Starscream to _the_ room, Soundwave," he growled dangerously.

"_As you command, my lord,"_ the other mech said casually and the intercom went dead.

Frustrated with the interruption, Megatron roughly disentangled himself from his sparkmate, though he could sense her lustful thoughts and he turned a glare at her, making her wince. "I have some things to take care between myself and Starscream," he told her. "Think all you want, but Starscream and his failings are more important than your need for interfacing."

Thunderblast nodded, disappointed as she smirked. "Very well, my lord, but do not damage him too badly, as I wish to have the pleasure of finishing him off myself."

Megatron laughed bitterly as he placed a claw beneath her smooth chin. "Once Starscream has outlived his usefulness and I've had the pleasure of tormenting him, then I will give you the satisfaction of destroying him yourself."

"Thank you," Thunderblast purred.

He leaned forward and planted a kiss upon her lips, drawing her in until her very essence filled him within, including her breath that was still heated from their interfacing in the past. He felt her gasp as his glossa snaked into her mouth, tasting her until he pulled away from her, his ruby optics gazing into her own. "Get some recharge, my love," he told her. "Once I've dealt with Starscream, I'll come straight back and we'll pick up from where we left off."

She nodded as he left the room, his rage growing to a whole new level.

* * *

Getting straight to the room didn't take Megatron long. Every single Decepticon onboard the base could see that he was extremely furious. They knew better than to stand in his way when he was this angry, especially when his anger was focused on the one Decepticon who could get deep beneath his armour.

Starscream was waiting for him patiently in the very room that had been specially designed for dealing with his insubordination or failure and no one else for that matter. Megatron could see the cocky look in the tall mech's optics, and since Starscream might have found a way to worm his way out his current situation, he decided to play along to see what he could come up with.

"Alright, Starscream, explain why Blast Off and Ramjet are offline," he snarled as he advanced towards him.

"Simple, Mighty Megatron," Starscream answered darkly, "that stupid Rodimus that you sent us to get was backed up by a femme called Arcee. She was the one who killed Ramjet, but it was Rodimus who had shot Blast Off's head without warning."

The moment that word left his mouth, Starscream was upon the floor as pain was felt across his right cheek. Megatron leans over him and places a pede down upon his cranium, a huge amount of weight being slowly applied to it and crushing the life out of him. One swift stomp and it's all over for him.

Cries of agony leaked from Starscream's vocal processor as the pressure was taken even further, the metal beneath his heel creaking and whining that was growing louder by the minute. "You are weak for letting such a simple femme overpower you!" he bellowed.

Starscream spluttered, "B-b-but Rodimus was backed up and his skills have barely even increased since the Battle in Alaska, lord Megatron! W-we should find when Rodimus' next round of patrolling is and what area that will be. We could send in a platoon of Decepticons to attack the area and send in the capture team to get him after they've separated him from his guards! In a group, he's powerful, but on his own, he's nothing more than a weak sparkling. P-p-please, lord Megatron!"

The words of Starscream pierce through Megatron's audio receptors, forcing him to lessen his attack and listen to what he had to say. The plan seemed flawless, but there had been failure in the past thanks to Starscream's idiocy. It would be extremely risky to send in a group of Decepticons to try and separate Rodimus from his protectors and capture him while his guard was down.

After careful consideration, Megatron removed his pede from Starscream's helm. He then bent down and picked him up by the neck. He pulled him in close until they were face to face, his tone lowering until it was really quiet. "If this plan of yours fails again like last time, Starscream, then I will do more than have your optics removed for good," he sneered.

Starscream nodded and Megatron tossed him aside like as if he weighed like nothing. He started making a hasty retreat until Megatron called him to halt, forcing him to stop and glance over his shoulder with fear in his optics. "Y-yes, lord Megatron?" he asked quietly.

"Keep a close optic on Rodimus," Megatron answered coldly. "Report every aspect of his movements to headquarters. Failure will not be tolerated."

"At once, my lord," Starscream nodded as he retreated into the darkness, leaving Megatron alone with his thoughts.

Megatron shook his head, puffing air from his fanged mouth. It had been a long time since he had felt the need to truly blast something. However, losing Harbinger at the hands of the youngling – Rodimus – had made him more than edgy, maybe even a bit over the top than he normally was. He was used to beating up his own men, taking his anger out on them when he was truly pissed off, but Starscream had become his ideal punching bag.

While he was treacherous, Megatron could not exactly afford to kill him due to still being useful to his cause and his means of achieving his goals. Sooner or later though, Starscream was bound to hit the right note that would mean his very end at the hands of the Decepticon leader.

Megatron was awakened from his thoughts when his com-link pinged. He sighed before answering, "What is it?"

"_I apologise for disturbing you, my master,"_ Cyclonus' voice came through.

"No need to apologise, Cyclonus," Megatron snorted. "I was finished with Starscream anyway. Now, what do you want?"

"_I thought you'd like to come down to the command centre,"_ replied Cyclonus. _"There's something you should see."_

"On my way, Megatron out."

* * *

The walk to the command centre didn't take as long as Megatron expected. But it was enough to keep his processor occupied while he made the journey. Seeing Cyclonus waiting near his throne suggested that what he had to speak about was very important. He nodded casually to the purple flyer as he approached, which Cyclonus eagerly returned.

"What is it that you wanted me to see?" he demanded, his lips pulling back into a snarl.

Cyclonus barely even flinched at the harshness of his leader as he turned him and entered a few commands into the main computer. The computer beeped a couple of times before it brought up a series of files. "The encryption of the files that Stormblue stole from Teletrann-One," he explained, "is complete. Though sadly only half of the download was done due to her getting interrupted by Autobots."

Megatron grinned broadly. "And what do the files tell us?" he asked, placing his arms behind his back.

"The files," went on Cyclonus, "appear to be some sort of blueprint for a device. Soundwave is working out what this device is and what it can do. But due to the fact that we have half of the download, it shouldn't be long before he'll figure it out."

"What's Soundwave's estimate on constructing this device?"

Cyclonus was silent for a moment before a slight smirk appeared on his lips. "By his calculations... twelve Earth weeks. It will only take him a few micro-cycles to piece together the puzzle."

"Very good, Cyclonus," Megatron rumbled, nodding. "I look forward to hearing the results. Tell Soundwave to let me know when he is finished."

Cyclonus bowed deeply. "Of course, my liege," he replied.

Satisfied, Megatron felt his lips pull back gleefully, his thoughts rushing through his processor. He could picture it now, the Autobots falling and their new leader at his mercy beneath his pedes. He wondered if he should have Rodimus as his personal slave. Huh... that probably wouldn't be such a bad idea, giving how dedicated the youngling was to his comrades. However, breaking him was Megatron's top priority. Break his spark, and he would be nothing more than an empty shell.

'Megatron...'

He stopped his thoughts dead in their tracks when he heard the voice of Thunderblast calling him from their sparklink. He felt his entire body grow stock still as he sensed her distress leaking through it. 'What's wrong?' he asked, concerned.

'Please... come to the medical bay...'

He didn't need to be told twice. He was out the command centre and at the med bay in five Earth minutes. As he entered the room, he was shocked to see Thunderblast sitting upright on a medical table with Flatline standing beside her, looking down at a scanning device in his hands.

"What's going on, Flatline?" he demanded furiously, tone menacingly low. "What's happened to Thunderblast?"

From what he could see, Thunderblast was trembling violently and avoiding optic contact with him. The fear was pulsing tremendously through their sparklink to the point it made him worry. What was making her so afraid? He approached her and took her carefully into his arms, pressing his face into her neck and breathing in her lustrous scent.

"Tell me what is wrong, my love?" he questioned in her audio receptor.

"Flatline will... tell you in a moment," Thunderblast whispered, looking away from him.

It was only a few moments later that Flatline lowered the device and looked between the two bondmates. "The results are correct," he told Thunderblast.

A gasp from Thunderblast causes Megatron to whirl upon the medic and send icy daggers at him. "**What the frag is going on? Tell me immediately!**"

"Thunderblast is pregnant with your son."

Silence dawns upon the room as Megatron's world darkens. Memories of sparkling wails echo through his processor. He could faintly hear Thunderblast's demands that he speak to her, snapping him out of his daze. In a matter of seconds, he whirls upon her and grabs her by the neck, pulling her close until she's inches away from his face.

The memories of Optimus continue to flash before his optics. He never wanted any responsibility in looking after a sparkling and he didn't want to again. A furious growl echoes from his vocal processor as he releases Thunderblast and turns his back on her before departing the med bay without another word.

All he can hear is the stifling sobs of his sparkmate, but the wails of a newly born Optimus replaced them completely.

* * *

Short chapter for a reason! XD Decepticon focused chapters are not usually my strong points, hence why I suffered from writer's block. Ugh! The nightmare of dealing with this crap, it's not fun! Anyway's, next chapter, we get back to the Autobots as Rodimus' training progresses. Until next chapter! My muse is good and ready now.


	6. Innocence Lost

What's this? Has Spirit really pulled a chapter from out of her ass? OMG! Yays!

I apologise for the lateness of this chapter, but apparently I've been dealing with a frightening situation regarding my home town. On Tuesday, we had a bushfire that started 10km from home until it was within at least 5km in the past several days. The whole town was shrouded in smoke and I ended up inhaling some by accident. Ash fell from the sky and at least half of the west side was evacuated until it was safe to return.

Do not worry, no one was injured and no damage was done. The fire is under control now and we are safe, though the firemen are keeping a close eye on the area should the blaze start up again.

Anyways, it's back to business now and onto the chapter. We return to a character who hasn't been seen since the first story. I hope you've missed him!

* * *

It was a quiet, peaceful late morning in the Autobot base. Many of the Autobots had felt nothing but unease at the unusual silence of the Decepticons. However, without activity from their enemy, they could only do what they did best by carrying out their normal routine: patrol cities, monitor Teletrann-One for anything out of the ordinary, train, tell war stories, play, and rest comfortably. It was all anyone could do until something happened.

With Prowl on the constant look out for anything, some of the younglings – who had recently arrived on the _Elpis_ many months ago – took it upon themselves to wander around the corridors and explore every inch of the base until there was nothing left to learn. Their caretakers would take the absolute care to ensure that none of them would wander too far from them and get into trouble, especially with Prowl's strict rules to not have any younglings wandering around the base without their creator or caretaker supervising them.

Unfortunately, the caretakers had been careless by turning their backs on some of them. Tailgate took it upon himself to go and find his good friend Rodimus. His best friends Powerglide, Chromedome, Override, and Raindance followed him closely, but he was far too busy focusing on finding the young Prime.

He felt a tap on his shoulder and he glanced over his shoulder to find a worried Chromedome looking at him. "What's the matter?" he asked, lifting an optic ridge.

"We shouldn't be out here, Tailgate," the other youngling told him. "You know what happens when we leave our caretakers."

"Don't be stupid, Chrome," Powerglide grumbled. "If Tailgate said we should leave our caretakers, then we should leave."

"But you know he's only doing it to find Rodimus," Chromedome answered back, whirling upon the larger youngling. He glanced over at Tailgate again, annoyance flashing in his baby blue optics. "Isn't that right?"

Tailgate sighed in defeat. "You're right, Chrome," he said, "I am trying to find Rodimus. But, since you're upset about being out here, then go back to the caretakers. It's not like I asked you to come with me."

Chromedome's optics changed from nervous to absolute fear. Tailgate knew that if he went back without the others and the caretakers questioned him on where the others had gone, he would be in so much trouble. He glanced between Powerglide and Tailgate until he grumbled something inaudible, making Tailgate laugh.

"How about I take your mind off of it, Chrome?" he suggested.

The younglings looked puzzled by this.

"What do you mean?" Override asked shyly.

Confidence overwhelmed Tailgate's sense of avoidance and he answered, "We can play a game of tag. And since I'm the one who brought you out here in the first place, I'll be it. How does that sound?"

The other younglings glanced at each other for a moment, whispering cautiously into each other's audio receptors as they tried to decide on whether or not they agreed on the whole thing. Finally, Raindance giggled, "Alright, Tailgate, you're it. You better start running now because we're going to give you a head start."

Tailgate smiled, but he didn't wait a moment longer. He dashed off down the corridors as fast as his youngling legs could carry him. Only ten orns old and he was fast enough to outrun the fastest of the matures. He knew that he didn't have much time as he dodged and weaved around the mechs and femmes that accidentally got in the way of his path. A couple of them weren't so lucky and he would often hear a curse and an order to slow down or else he'd cause an accident.

He never stopped running, and many of the matures just left him alone to his attempted escape from his friends. He reached a corner and hid behind it so he could catch his breath. He wasn't tired out yet, having only been running for at least a few minutes, but it never hurt to be cautious in case he upset his vital components.

He didn't have time to rest long when he heard at least three pairs of youngling feet heading straight towards him. "Slag!" he hissed to himself as he made another mad dash to safety.

The moment he left his hiding place, he could hear the footsteps following right behind him. He didn't dare look back as he instantly guessed that Chromedome, Powerglide, Override and Raindance were right on his tailpipe. He couldn't keep running like this forever, but he had to find somewhere to hide until they gave up their pursuit.

He could feel exhaustion starting to creep in and his systems beginning to heat up quickly. "Not now!" he cried.

The footsteps were getting closer, but he zigzagged down another corner and he stopped for a moment to glance around for a place to hide. Anywhere was better than being chased endlessly in this pointless game of tag...

Wait a moment! What's that?

He could see a huge room to his right and he felt excitement swell inside his spark.

Without thinking, he ran into the room and hid on the right side of the door to prevent his friends from seeing him. He waited as the footsteps drew closer until he heard Chromedome's voice speak up with annoyance: "How could he just vanish?"

"Who knows?" Powerglide sighed. "Come on, let's go and check the school. He might have gone back."

"What about that room?" Override asked, indicating she meant the room that Tailgate was hiding in.

"We can't go in there, Override," Raindance said. "That room's forbidden to all younglings unless we were supervised by a mature."

"Yes, and Tailgate wouldn't be dumb enough to go in there," said Powerglide, his tone growling slightly. "He always obeys the rules."

"Except when he wants to wander off from the school to go and find Rodimus," Chromedome chuckled, his voice growing faint as though he was moving away from the area.

The other three laughed as they too seemed to be moving away. Tailgate could hear their footsteps and voices growing fainter until he couldn't hear them anymore. He hadn't noticed he'd been holding his breath until he let it go. He was finally glad to be rid of them, even though they were his best friends. He didn't want them to get into trouble with the caretakers, but it had been their fault for following him in the first place.

Shaking his head with relief, he closed his optics for a moment, thinking on how he was going to find Rodimus in this huge base. He knew that he was somewhere training, but the problem was... he wasn't sure where about.

He was about to turn and leave the room when he suddenly felt a huge pair of arms wrap around his waist and lift him up very high in the air. He let off a squeal of fear and started whistling words that only sparklings would understand. It wasn't until a deep, familiar baritone voice started cooing to him did he realise he had nothing to fear. He opened his optics and found himself looking into the azure ones of _the_ Optimus.

Optimus gently brought him close to his chest, the warmth comforting the little mech.

"Little one," he said softly, his tone gentle and kind, "what are you doing in here? You know younglings are not allowed in the Recreation Room."

Tailgate hung his head low shyly and answered, "I was hiding from my friends as part the game we were playing, Sir."

Optimus chuckled and nuzzled the youngling playfully, earning a little yelp of surprise. "You do not need to call me 'sir', Tailgate, I am not in command anymore." He looked thoughtful for a moment and a smile made its way onto his lips. "Would you like to come and sit with me for a little while until your friends come and find you?" he asked.

"Okay," Tailgate laughed after he'd calmed down. It would be an honour to sit with Optimus for a while at least until he found Rodimus. However, something may change his mind to not go and find him if Optimus proved to be a bit more interesting.

The former Autobot commander made his way over to a large table where three other mechs were sitting. Tailgate recognised as Prowl, Sideswipe, and Ironhide (he hid his head behind Optimus' neck when he saw Prowl looking at him funny).

Optimus sat down in his seat and placed Tailgate on his lap, earning a smirk from Ironhide. On Ironhide's right, Sideswipe was quietly sipping away on a cube of high grade, while Prowl merely had a stoic expression as Tailgate kept his vision focused firmly on the ground.

"Optimus," said Prowl sternly, "you know that younglings are not allowed in here without supervision from their caretakers." He frowned slightly as he stared at Tailgate. "Did you escape the watchful optics of your creators again?"

The youngling said nothing as Optimus rubbed him gently on the left side of his helm with an index finger, earning a quiet purr from his little vocal processor.

"Prowl, leave the kid alone," Ironhide spoke up. "He's not doing any harm."

The vice commander merely sighed and took out a data pad from his subspace pocket and placed it on the table in front of Optimus. "Back to what we were discussing about before our little guest arrived," he said, his tone business as usual. "According to Bluestreak's reports, there haven't been any signs of Decepticon activity over the past four weeks."

Optimus frowned, his knee bouncing slightly much to the enjoyment of Tailgate. "I may not be commander anymore," he said quietly, "but the fact that there haven't been any sign of the enemy for this long has me extremely worried. It's not like Megatron to be silent so long."

He turns to Sideswipe and Ironhide.

"Since there is nothing that can be done about this until the Decepticons make an appearance, I would like to ask each and every one of you: how goes the training with Rodimus?"

Tailgate's audio receptors perked up at the young Prime's name. He said nothing, but listened intensively.

Ironhide cleared his vocal processor as he spoke first. "The youngling is progressing extremely quickly in learning how to wield his plasma cannon. I'm very impressed with his determination to learn quickly. I also marvel his ability to design a weapon of his own. He made his very own grenade launcher that launches a variety of different grenades.

"He didn't make the grenades by himself, he actually went to Wheeljack with some ideas. Wheeljack made them, and he and Rodimus tested them out on drones. He showed me earlier just what they could do and, wow, they were... explosive."

The others nodded, quite impressed with Ironhide's words. However, Optimus seemed to be the most impressed, but then it vanished just as quickly as it came.

"Well," said Sideswipe, catching everyone's attention as he placed his cube back on the table, "Rodimus' learning to dual wield with his swords are remarkably amazing for one so young. He's learning fast and will soon be an even match for Metalhawk – my best student. I couldn't have asked for a better student, charge and friend."

Optimus, Ironhide, and Sideswipe then directed their attention onto Prowl. The black and white mech had been quiet during the discussion after he had given his report to Optimus. He had his arms folded across his chest, his head bowed in a deep pondering mood.

Ironhide cleared his vocal processor, causing Prowl to glance up in surprise until he seemed to realise what they were talking about.

"Oh, I apologise," he said, shaking his head. "For what concerns Rodimus' training... he doesn't like the training because it stresses his processor and leaves him completely exhausted. However, he understands that it has to be done because it will save his life someday. While I can't exactly say how long he'll last should he get captured, I can say this though: I too am impressed with his progression."

All optics diverted over to Optimus as he gently tickled Tailgate, earning a little giggle from his mouth.

Shaking his head with amusement, Sideswipe asked, "And how goes your training with him?"

"Rodimus is eager to learn," Optimus replied. "He never stops asking questions about the people he is in charge of, their history, and culture. He is getting slightly better at concealing his emotions, but he still has trouble with some parts of it, especially when he is trying to hide the fact that he has a good hand, which I can easily identify."

Ironhide chuckled, "Can you tell me how you do that?"

Optimus said no with a laugh, refusing to give away his secret to his old friend.

The four were silent as they enjoyed the quietness of the room. Without any other Autobots to disturb them, they had the whole room to themselves. Tailgate could sense that there was indeed a deep connection between the elders. From what he knew of the stories that were told to him by his creators, these four mechs had battled alongside each other for a very long time, way before even he was a spark in his mother's womb chamber.

He loved listening to Ironhide's war stories whenever he came around to visit the school. He had listened with great interest until it was time for Ironhide to go back to his duties. Someday, when Tailgate was old enough, he would a great warrior just like the elders and even tell the next generation of younglings about his adventures.

The mere thought of fighting alongside Rodimus excited the youngling deep inside his tiny spark. It excited him so much that he trembled violently, thus causing Optimus to look down upon him with concern. Tailgate felt his insides heat up with embarrassment, and he reassured Optimus that he was fine and that there was nothing to worry about.

He was so busy focusing on his excitement he hadn't heard Sideswipe speak up until the last minute.

"I'm actually pretty impressed that Rodimus has come so far in his training. He should be ready to lead the Autobots soon."

Prowl shook his head dismissively, frowning. "I'm sorry, Sideswipe," he said, "but I disagree because I know that Rodimus isn't exactly confident in the fact that he'll be good enough to lead us."

A deep grumble emitted from Ironhide's vocal processor. "I've heard rumours from the other Autobots and some Neutrals that they are beginning to doubt their new Prime, and that he's a coward for not wanting to lead them in their time of need."

"The next time they talk about behind the back of my charge," growled Sideswipe, "I'll shove my in their vocal processor."

Optimus gave the silver mech a disapproving look that instantly told him to shut up. But he said nothing against it. "Although Rodimus might not be confident, he will have to lead them soon because he cannot hide from his destiny forever."

The others agreed wholeheartedly.

Ironhide then stood up to his full height. "Sideswipe, have you seen Rodimus anywhere? It's time I took him, Arcee and Springer out on their first patrol mission and I don't want them to forget."

"Last time I saw him," Sideswipe replied, "he was training with Kup in the training room. Be careful, though, when you approach them. I hear Rodimus is developing quite a kick in his legs, and he's almost as deadly with his punches."

"You had it coming, Sideswipe," Optimus chuckled, earning a death glare from him but he said nothing in his defence.

Ironhide smirked and thanked Sideswipe for the information. He then turns to leave just as Optimus wishes him luck on taking care of the three. Ironhide merely waves it off. "I can handle them and probably won't need any luck," he said and he limps out of the room.

After Ironhide leaves, a few seconds pass and suddenly four familiar younglings come rushing into the room. They glance around for a moment until they spotted the horrified Tailgate sitting on Optimus' knees. Chromedome, Override, Powerglide, and Raindance run straight towards Optimus and each of them make a grab for his large legs, tugging at his shin armour while rambling and beeping in words that not one of the matures could understand (unless you were a sparkling).

"Little ones, please calm down," Optimus ordered firmly, but not unkindly.

The younglings instantly obeyed, becoming silent and looking into the wise optics of the large mech.

"Now, tell me slowly what you want. You know that younglings are forbidden to be in the Recreation Room."

Chromedome spoke up first, "We were looking for Tailgate back at the school. But when we saw no sign of him, we immediately guessed that he was in here. We didn't want to get in trouble with the caretakers just because we didn't have Tailgate with us, so we came running back here as fast as we could."

Powerglide shot Tailgate a glare, but the little mech ignored him.

"And now that we've found you," put in Raindance angrily, "we want you to come back to the school with us, or else we'll all be in big trouble."

Tailgate shook his head defiantly. "I'm not going back until I find Rodimus," he told her.

The younglings all began speaking at once again, beeping and hissing in anger at the stubbornness of their friend. Tailgate folded his arms across his chest, not moving an inch as Powerglide and Override reached for his arms and began to tug at them.

"Little ones, enough!" commanded Optimus.

All five younglings went silent again and they bowed their heads sorrowfully.

"While I know that you don't want to get into trouble with the caretakers," continued Optimus, "I think that it is best that you remained here with me, Prowl and Sideswipe."

"What, Sir?" Prowl asked in surprise, but Optimus ignored him.

"Since Tailgate seems determined to find Rodimus, and you won't go back without him, I'm going to keep you here until the caretakers come looking for you. If it makes you feel any better, I will tell you a story."

Chromedome and Powerglide looked at one another, while Override and Raindance stared in shock. Tailgate wasn't the least bit surprised at all. He had always wanted to hear a story from Optimus because, like Ironhide, he would often visit the school and tell the younglings stories like there was no tomorrow. Optimus' stories might not be as gory as Ironhide's, but they were extremely interesting to listen to.

"What kind of story would you like to hear?" Optimus asked.

Tailgate took that as his opportunity to speak for himself. "Can we hear a story about Cybertron?" he asked.

Neither of the other younglings seemed to object to the idea. They had settled themselves down at the feet of Optimus, waiting patiently for him to begin the story.

Optimus chuckled at Tailgate's eagerness for a story. "Very well," he said. "Perhaps I will tell you about my old days of being Prime back on our home planet."

"Please do, Optimus!" begged the younglings at once.

Sideswipe and Prowl smiled as Optimus cleared his vocal processor and began to tell the story. However, Prowl silently got up and left them, having witnessed the events of the past himself. He didn't exactly want to remember the time when he had to take over Optimus' job as Prime until he had been ready to take over the title himself.

Primus, thinking about the past made him miss Jazz even more than he thought. He closed his optics and let all of the old memories fade away into the back of his processor. It was time to focus on here and now, and not the past.

* * *

Rodimus eyed Kup from the opposite side of the room, his optics boring into the elder like sharp daggers. He could feel a great deal of tension in the air, but he didn't let that distract him from his focus. One wrong move and he would certainly end up on the floor... and with a sore aft. The two of them had been facing each other without making a single move for the past four minutes, and not one of them had made their move. It was a nervous wait for Rodimus, but attempting to spot an opening in Kup's defence was not going to be easy.

The old warrior's optics had been watching him with a great deal of patience, something that Rodimus was going to run out of pretty soon. If Kup wasn't going to make a move soon, then Rodimus may have to use drastic measures.

He hadn't noticed his thoughts had wandered off until Kup was upon him and threw a punch in his face. Rodimus was quick to react as he countered the attack by grabbing the arm against his left side. Using his momentum, he flipped Kup over his shoulder.

Kup was quick to correct himself by twisting his body to one side, he landed back on his feet without losing any stride. He twists again, performing a roundhouse kick, but Rodimus was ready as he raised his arms slightly, blocking the kick.

"Impressive block," Kup chuckled.

Rodimus smirked as he released an uppercut, catching Kup completely off, but he managed to take a step backwards to avoid getting punched in the face. But Rodimus didn't give him a chance to come up with another attack. He charged forward, zigzagging left and right in an attempt to confuse him, and he's upon him in a matter of 2.2 seconds as he unleashed a flurry of punches. But only two of them land on Kup as he counters the rest by blocking them with his forearms.

But Rodimus wasn't about to give up just yet. He gathered his legs beneath his body and leapt into the air. Once he was high enough, he twisted his body anti-clockwise and lifted his left leg, hitting Kup directly on the head with the outside of his foot.

Kup went hurtling to one side and onto the floor a short distance away.

Rodimus hunched over slightly, breathing heavily from the exhausting fight. He never thought that he would be getting the hang of this training. However, he couldn't afford to let overconfidence cloud his processor, not when there was a fight to be fought.

Kup! Frag it!

He rushed over to his teacher, but the old mech stopped him dead in his tracks as he picked himself up off the ground and rubbed the tender spot on his helm. Much to Rodimus' surprise, Kup was actually smiling! Rodimus didn't understand what he had done to make him happy, considering how hard it was to impress him.

Kup came over to him, limping slightly and still rubbing his sore helm. Rodimus could see the beads of oil dripping down the sides, thus making him wonder if he looked as exhausted as his mentor.

"Well done, Rodimus," Kup chuckled. "Your combat has really improved."

The young mech bowed his head, feeling his insides heat up with embarrassment. "Thanks, Kup," he replied.

Kup nodded. "On your next lesson, kid," he said, "we'll be moving up to the next stage as soon as possible. It will be tough, but I know you can do it. You've proven that when you kicked my aft."

Suddenly, clapping was heard from behind the two and Rodimus turned to see Ironhide in the middle of the doorway, clapping his massive servos together. The black mech approached them, a huge smile upon his lips. "Nice fighting there, Rodimus," he said. "Your technique continues to improve the more I see it. Where did you learn that move?"

Rodimus chuckled, "Ever since I've been amongst the Autobots, I'd taken the time to download human movies into my computer in my quarters... mostly martial arts movies so that I could learn them and integrate them into my own fighting technique."

Ironhide looked puzzled. "Why would you watch such strange films?" he asked.

The young Prime let off a loud laugh, further confusing the old mechs. "Well, I do it for entertainment as well," he said. He then looked thoughtful for a moment until a smirk crept onto his lips. "I might know a couple of movies that you might like because I know how much you like explosions."

Now Ironhide looked interested. "Oh?"

"Oh, so now you're interested?" Rodimus taunted. "Alright, on the weekend I'll give you a copy of one of the movies I'd recently downloaded called _A Good Day to Die Hard_. How does that sound to you?"

"Very well," Ironhide agreed.

Kup lifted an optic ridge and smirked. "Was there actually a reason as to why you are here, old friend?" he asked. "Surely you are not here to exchange movies and chat about the youngling's technique."

Ironhide's optics widened and he slapped himself across the faceplates. "Right, thanks for the reminder, Kup. I've actually come here to ask if you are finished with Rodimus for the day."

The green mech raised an optic ridge and nodded. "Yes I have. Why?"

"Today is the day that I take Rodimus, Arcee and Springer out on their first patrol mission," Ironhide answered. "We'll be gone for about a week before we're due to come back."

Rodimus' optics widened in surprise, but he remained silent as he waited for Kup's answer. He didn't have to wait long as the old mech smiled. "Rodimus can go, Ironhide," he said. "However, only on one condition."

"What's that?" Ironhide asked.

"That you bring Rodimus back alive," Kup growled as he marched closer to Ironhide and jabbed him in the chest plate. "If I find out that the kid was hurt... then I promise you I will rip out your spark chamber and crush it so hard that you will not even have time to think you're in pain. Do I make myself clear?"

For the first time in his life, Rodimus shrank back in terror at the threatening tone of his mentor. Never before had he heard Kup speak like this and be certain to make good of his threat. While Kup had threatened him in the past for letting his processor wander when he should have been concentrating, not one of those threats meant any harm to him. Now, hearing this from the vocal processor of him just made Rodimus want to run away and never see him again.

But Ironhide didn't seem bothered by the threat at all. "I promise you, Kup, I will bring Rodimus back and have him tucked into his berth before you even know it."

"Ironhide!" Rodimus snapped, earning a laugh of amusement from the black mech.

"Go on," Ironhide said, "go and get your gear ready and meet me at the base's entrance. I'll let Arcee and Springer know at once."

At the mention of Springer's name, Rodimus' good mood turns to uncertainty. But he was quick to hide it from the others since he learned a few tricks from Optimus over the past four weeks. He nodded and made his way out.

Once Rodimus was gone, Kup turned to Ironhide, his face converting into a frown of displeasure. Ironhide sighed deeply, as he knew exactly what his old friend was going to say. "I've already promised you I will look out for the kid," he said.

Kup shook his head. "It's not that I'm worried about," he replied. "I'm more concerned on whether Rodimus is ready for this sort of task."

"Is that what this is all about?" Ironhide asked. "Kup, he's been preparing for this kind of thing for the past six months, and he's learning fast. He has a great deal of potential. I can see that because he has proven that he can hold his own when he fought one-on-one with Doubledealer, followed by Harbinger – a beast that not even Optimus managed to kill. Isn't that enough?"

The old green mech sighed softly. "I hope you're right, Ironhide," he answered quietly. "I really do."

Ironhide gently petted Kup on the shoulder before he turned and walked out the room while com-linking to both Arcee and Springer, telling them to meet him at the base's entrance for their first patrol mission.

As he leaves, Kup closed his tired, old optics and sent a mental prayer to Primus, hoping that He will look out for Rodimus.

* * *

Rodimus had just added the final thing he needed into his satchel: a couple of cubes of energon. He knew he could go weeks without having to refuel himself, but it never hurt to have a couple just in case of emergencies. He closed up the bag and hauled it over his shoulder in a comfortable position. Satisfied, he turned and trotted out of his quarters and made towards his destination. It had been a little while since he had been outside the base and he was looking forward to his first mission with Arcee.

Just the mere thought of driving out in the country made his spark race with excitement, and he couldn't wait to show her and Ironhide what he knew about the landscape that he had been exploring over the past few months.

His doorwings twitched with anticipation and he grinned without a second thought. By the heavens above, he couldn't contain this bubbling excitement!

"You look happy today, don't you?"

"Ah!" Rodimus cried, falling on his aft and dropping his satchel on the floor. He glanced up and saw Arcee looking down upon him with a glint of amusement in her azure optics. "Arcee, don't sneak up on me like that!"

Arcee laughed, offering her hand out to him. "I'm sorry, Roddy, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Yeah, I'm sure you didn't," Rodimus pouted as he took her hand, pulling himself back up. "You're on your way to meet Ironhide, right?"

"Of course I am," Arcee replied as she picked up Rodimus' satchel and handed it back to him. "Ironhide just said to meet him at the base's entrance." She looked down reluctantly. "I'm guessing Springer is going to be there too."

Rodimus frowned. "Please, Arcee, I'd rather not think about Springer. He's a dickhead anyway."

The young femme's optics widened in surprise at his choice of words. "What did you say?" she asked.

"Never mind," Rodimus sighed. "I don't want to talk about Springer at the moment. He's been on my processor since Ironhide mentioned his name when he came to collect me. I haven't been in a good mood lately."

"Alright," Arcee smiled. "But you'll have to deal with him sooner or later, because we'll be on the same team for a long time."

Rodimus said nothing in response as he and Arcee walked side by side. They spent their entire walk in silence.

With each step Rodimus took, the more he felt inclined to turn around and not go. He knew that Springer was a good Autobot, he just didn't seem to like him very much for a reason Rodimus couldn't understand. Over the past four weeks, Springer would often glare at him, almost like as if he was trying to make him disappear from the face of the Earth. Sometimes Rodimus wished he could just fade away and not have to face the dark green mech, but he had no other choice.

They arrived at the base's entrance and Rodimus really wished that Prowl hadn't suggested Springer to be part of the team. There was the dark green mech, leaning on the door's side with his arms folded across his chest and his optics closed.

When Springer detected their approach, he raised his head slightly, his optics cast into a frown when he saw Rodimus and Arcee walking together. He removed himself from his position and a low growl was heard from his vocal processor.

Rodimus stood his ground, determined not to be scared off by the older mech as he glared right back. He just didn't understand what Springer's problem was, and he just wished that he would get over whatever was bothering.

"Calm down, Springer," Rodimus said softly. "I'm not in the mood for your pissed off nature."

"And I'm not in the mood for any of your games, kid," Springer shot back. "I don't know what Arcee sees in you, but I swear that if you hurt her I will kick your aft that will send you back to wherever you came from. Got me?"

"Guys, don't fight, please," Arcee begged from the sidelines.

Springer seemed like he was about to say something rhetorical, but then Ironhide stepped outside forcing him to back off.

Ironhide glanced between Rodimus and Springer, as though he seemed to be sensing the tension in the air and the way how Arcee looked worried. Rodimus heard him mutter something in Cybertronian, and he cursed his inability to understand it.

The old mech stepped towards them, looking at each and every one of them as he spoke in a commanding tone, "This is nothing more than a patrol mission. We will be gone for at least two weeks. If we encounter any Decepticons, then it is our job to report to base for backup and hold the enemy off until it arrives. We are also to remain in vehicle mode at all times so that not only will the humans be able to not see us, but it will mask our energy signatures from the enemy."

"They will not know what hit them, sir, until it's too late," Springer declared, his optics glaring at Rodimus.

Rodimus just rolled his optics and ignored him, along with Ironhide.

"Are there any questions?" the black mech asked.

Rodimus raised his arm, surprising everyone. "Along the way," he said, "could we make a quick stop at a special place?"

"What for?"

He just smiled, "It's a little personal, but I'll explain it along the way." But as he finished speaking, he then sent Ironhide an image of a very familiar oak tree with Cybertronian inscribes on its trunk. Ironhide's optics widened for a moment as shock and awe overwhelmed him to the point where he couldn't speak at all. Finally he smiled and nodded his understanding.

"Very well," he said. "But not too long, as we have a job to do."

Rodimus thanked him and waits patiently for him to give the command to roll out. But Ironhide remained silent until he burst out laughing, puzzling the young Prime. He stepped towards him and whispered into his audio receptor, "You should give the command, since you're the one who suggested on forming this group in the first place."

Confusion swept over Rodimus for a moment, but he shook it off when it finally sunk in and he turns to Arcee and Springer. "Alright guys, time to transform," he ordered.

Arcee immediately complied and transformed into her sleek vehicle mode, revving her engine powerfully. Ironhide transformed too, but Springer just stood there for a moment, staring with a hint of annoyance written all over his facial features.

Rodimus mentally slapped himself when he realised his error. "Sorry, Springer, just transform into jet mode and keep an optic out for the Decepticons as we travel along."

Springer shrugged his powerful shoulders and transformed into his Cybertronian jetfighter form. Igniting his thrusters and making Rodimus stagger slightly from the sonic boom; he took off into the skies immediately before Rodimus could ask him to at least stick close enough to hear them out.

He sighed dejectedly before transforming into his flamed Ford GTX1 form. Ironhide soon led the way with Arcee and Rodimus following closely behind.

High in the sky at least three thousand feet, a large F22 Raptor with familiar tattoos coating its entire body hovered above. It made strange noises that were extremely alien to human ears, but the message it was producing to its receiver was as clear as daylight.

"_We are receiving your message, commander. Sending in the troops to the city."_

* * *

And the plot thickens! Who is watching the team leave? O.O I think you can guess who it is. As for why the Autobots didn't detect him, well... he's got damn dampening fields on, that's why Teletrann didn't pick him. What a sneaky bugger! Yes, the plot is finally coming in together. Next chapter, we're going to have lots of action! Until then!


	7. Return to Mission City

Thought I would give you guys a lovely Christmas present by updating this story. It's been a little while since I have, so I think it seems like a good idea. I wish you guys all a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year. You probably won't see another update until around next year. Until then, stay safe!

* * *

_Rodimus could hear screaming; explosions and plasma blasters blazing. Decepticons were chasing humans down a city's street. Screams of fear and pain echoed around him as they were followed by cries of death and destruction. Women tugged their crying children by the arm as the Decepticons herded them onwards; men assisted the elderly as best as they could. No one was to be left behind, even in the wake of devastation._

_One femme Decepticon advanced forward, laughter of glee and bloodlust emitted from her vocal processor. She turned her rifle upon the fleeing humans and fired a ball of fiery plasma at them._

_Rodimus saw it coming from a mile away, leaving the safety of his companions as he bolted towards the line of fire. "Get down!" he shouted as he neared._

_He stood in front of the humans, shielding them just as the shot met his delicate doorwings, earning a scream of agony from his vocal processor. He collapsed as his doorwings began to melt away from the contact of the blast. His cyan optics squinting from the heat, his armour burned and smoked._

_He glanced downwards through his swimming vision at the humans that stared at him in gratitude. "Run," he whispered pitifully to them, "now."_

_But they didn't move as their eyes turned to horror and shock when they diverted to behind him. He glanced over his shoulder to see what they were looking at and he wished that he hadn't. The femme Decepticon that shot at the humans earlier stood over him, her plasma rifle pointed directly at his head._

_It was primed and ready..._

_He closed his optics, waiting for the end..._

Rodimus awoke with a start, his breathing heavy from the dream and his armour dripped with beads of oil. It took him half a second to realise that he wasn't in his quarters and that he was on a roadside, parked in between Ironhide and Arcee. None of them had stirred when he awoke from his unusual dream. It was the second time since he'd had it, but it was a lot more detailed than before. The last time he had a dream like this; it was four months ago regarding Harbinger and the fall of Optimus.

Was the Matrix trying to tell him that something bad was going to happen, something that had had to do with this mission? The mere thought of this vision happening like last time terrified him and he felt his tyres tremble beneath him.

He sighed quietly, not wanting to disturb his companions from their recharge. They had been on the road for five days now, and the more they were out here, the more his instincts screamed at him, telling him that something bad was going to happen. Why couldn't he have the normal life of a youngling and not be chosen by the Matrix and the Allspark to lead the Autobots through... whatever it was that was going to happen in the future.

Shifting his wheels slightly, he edged forward a bit. He wondered where Springer was, since he had noticed that he was nowhere to be seen when he had woken up from his dream. Rodimus guessed that he was somewhere out on patrol, checking out the perimeter. He shuddered a little, thinking about how during the past five days had involved short, petty arguments between himself and Springer. He didn't know why the dark green triple-changer was being so difficult; he hadn't done anything to upset him at all!

If he had his head, he would have shaken it. He didn't have time to make stupid arguments with someone who was too stubborn to really listen to him. Besides, his processor was too busy thinking about stretching his arms and legs, but he knew he had to stay in his vehicle mode for safety reasons.

"_You're awake, kid?"_ Ironhide's voice quietly pierced through the warm air. _"I didn't expect you to be up so early. Had another nightmare?"_

Rodimus shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to respond. Ever since they had started the trip and had recharged side by side, Rodimus had been plagued by dreams that came very rarely. Now this was the third time his dream had bothered him and he wasn't even sure if it was wise to voice his concerns. "I don't know," he answered honestly.

Ironhide said nothing for a brief moment, as though he was considering pushing the young Prime for further answers. He seemed to rethink it as Arcee began to stir from her slumber, stretching her wheels on their axels for a bit and yawning.

"I just want to transform and stretch my arms and legs," Rodimus snorted, changing the subject before Arcee noticed their previous discussion.

"_I don't know, kid,"_ Ironhide laughed, sensing his reason to do it, _"I thought you were used to being in your vehicle form after all this time. What changed your mind?"_

"Not sure," Rodimus replied hesitantly. "I guess I'm eager to get going again."

The old mech laughed again. _"I understand how you feel, Rodimus, but we cannot for a little while longer. Until we get back to base, we're stuck like this for a little while longer."_

"Yeah, I know," Rodimus sighed disappointedly.

A whirlwind suddenly picked up speed and a dark green jet – Springer – descended from the clear sky, falling fast until he stopped just a metre above the group, sending dirt and dust into the air. He hovered for a brief moment, repositioning himself a little to the side until he was right beside Arcee and he quickly transformed into his 2011 Ford Interceptor form gracefully.

Ironhide turned himself around to face the recent arrival. _"Springer, report,"_ he commanded, the friendliness in his tone gone.

"_There's been no sign of any vehicle – human or Cybertronian – since I've been patrolling the perimeter, sir, over the past couple of micro-cycles,"_ Springer answered like the good soldier that he was. _"I have, however, spotted an F22 Raptor flying nearby, but it had quickly moved on before I could get in for a closer look and it disappeared into the clouds too quickly for my liking."_

Rodimus mentally chewed his bottom lip, a sinking feeling of suspicion in his aft. "It seems a little suspicious, don't you think?" he suggested, getting the attention of the two older warriors. "Maybe Springer could have found out more if he had been a little faster."

Springer's engine revved violently and he inched a little closer to Rodimus. _"Are you calling me slow?"_ he demanded furiously.

"I might," growled Rodimus in a sarcastic manner, closing the gap between himself and the dark green mech. Springer was quick to mirror his move until they were almost bumper to bumper. Ironhide quickly barged his way forward, getting in front of Rodimus while Arcee for Springer.

"_I'll tear you a new one if you two don't stop arguing with each other!"_ Ironhide snapped. _"Calm down the both of you and save it for the Decepticons if we end up meeting them."_ He turned to Springer. _"Go and head back out to watch out flanks while the rest of us head out down the rest of the route onto the Interstate."_

Springer muttered something underneath his breath in Cybertronian as he transformed into jetfighter form and took off into the sky, dust and dirt making its way into Rodimus' articulators. He coughed a little from the intake, grumbling on how annoying Springer was getting. He sighed and turned back to Ironhide. "Where are we going?" he questioned curiously.

Ironhide said two words that made Rodimus shudder in fear: _"Mission City."_

The young Prime shrank back in horror as those words left Ironhide's vocal processor. He sensed Arcee doing the same thing. "We're going to _that_ place?!" he cried with alarm.

"_Because,"_ Ironhide responded casually, appearing to not notice Rodimus' horrified tone, _"Decepticons are believed to have been sighted by the Sky Spy drone and it's our job to check it out without the notice of humans."_

"Ironhide, I was born there nearly seven years ago," Rodimus whispered quietly. "I can't go back there."

"_I understand your reluctance to go, little one, but we have to go there for the sake of humanity,"_ Ironhide said gently in a fatherlike tone that seemed to put Rodimus' thoughts at ease.

Arcee came forward and gently nudged him in the side, offering whatever form of comfort she could. _"It will be ok, Roddy,"_ she whispered to him kindly.

Rodimus sighed with a lot of force from his breath, "Alright, Ironhide, I'll go."

"_Good,"_ Ironhide chuckled. _"Let's get going while the morning is still young. I'd hate to run into a lot of traffic along the way."_ He started up his powerful engine and turned towards the exit that led directly for Route 99, which would take them directly to the interstate known as Interstate 5. He checked to make sure that the way was clear before he pulled out onto the road, with Rodimus and Arcee not too far behind.

* * *

Bluestreak yawned tiredly as he entered the command centre with a datapad tucked under one arm. He really hated getting up early for his shift at console, but it was one of his jobs as part of the Security Services in the Autobot base to be at Teletrann for the whole morning. The mere thought of disappointing the Security Director – Hound – made the midnight blue and silver mech worried. In all his life as serving as a member of the Security Service, he had never disappointed his Chief, but he knew there was always a first time for everything.

Rubbing the exhaustion from his optics, Bluestreak dismissed all thoughts and made his way over to his usual spot – right in between Tracks and Windcharger, who sat next to Springarm. On Tracks' left was the youthful Backfire. The young warrior had very slowly made his way up the ranks in the Autobots and he had now found a good place as part of the Security Service, but he still maintained the decency of being a bit hot-headed, amusing the Earthbound Autobots while the former _Elpis_ Autobots just shook their heads at his determination.

Still, Bluestreak was glad of the new addition to the group, but it made his job a little bit harder. Keeping an optic on the youth and doing his job at the same time was... complicated.

"Good morning, Blue," Springarm greeted, frowning a little bit. "Primus, you look exhausted."

"Morning everyone," Bluestreak greeted back, taking his seat at the console. "Are we in for a busy day today?"

Tracks shook his head. "I highly doubt it," he replied. "The whole grid has been quiet while I've been here, though Springarm has been here the longest." He turned to the mech on his left. "What do you think?"

Springarm tapped in a few commands into the console, bringing up a series of Cybertronian words that flashed quickly before his optics. According to the mech's profile presented by Skyfire after the _Elpis_ had touched down, Springarm was gifted for reading extremely quickly; so quickly that it made it impossible to figure out whether he was just skimming or just flicking through the pages without bothering to read them. He was done in a matter of seconds and he shifted his gaze over to Bluestreak.

"In the time that I've been here," he explained, "which has been only two and a half micro-cycles, there has been nothing in my sight."

Bluestreak nodded with approval. "Excellent," he smiled. "Let's hope it stays that way for the rest of the day. Keep up the good work everyone. Hound might not need to file in a report to Prowl today if nothing comes up."

Without warning, Teletrann started bleeping and its main monitor brought up something that had everyone in the room dropping their jaws in shock. The computer was showing a group of several Decepticons heading towards Mission City, the very spot that Rodimus and his group were heading to at this very moment.

"Looks like you spoke too soon, Blue," Windcharger grumbled.

"Shut the frag up, Windcharger, and let me do my job!" Bluestreak hissed as he bolted upright and typed into the console, patching directly into the team that was closest to the incoming incident. "Ironhide, this is Bluestreak! We've got Decepticons heading towards your destination, and they're going in real fast."

"_Roger that, Bluestreak,"_ Ironhide responded in a determined manner. _"We're on our way! Ironhide out."_

Tracks swivelled around in his chair and he activates his own com-link. "Prowl, this is Tracks," he began. "Teletrann just picked up at least nine Decepticons heading towards Mission City, Ironhide and his team are moving in to intercept them, but I don't think they're going to get there in time to head them off."

"_Reading you loud and clear, Tracks. Springarm, order up a team of Autobots to meet me in the Shuttle Hanger on the double!"_

"Already on it, Sir," Springarm answered seriously. As he was saying this, he was patching into a group of Autobots' com-links. "Skyfire, Mirage, Ratchet, Brawn, Bumblebee, and Sideswipe, meet Prowl in the Shuttle Hanger immediately. We've got Decepticons making their way to Mission City. Ironhide's team are almost there, but they will need backup ASAP. I repeat: meet Prowl in the Shuttle Hanger immediately."

"_Roger that!"_ they answer at once without hesitation.

Bluestreak nodded with approval at the swiftness of his team. "Good job, men," he said. "Let's hope everything works out in the end."

"I've got a bad feeling about this..." Springarm muttered, touching a familiar symbol on his left cheek.

* * *

The early morning quietness of the barely awake Mission City was interrupted by an approaching familiar F22 Raptor coated in alien tattoos. Starscream circled the city several times as his thoughts drifted towards the past, the past of when the Autobots had achieved victory with the assistance of that pathetic Sam Witwicky.

It disgusted him on how such a tiny, weak organic being could just so easily defeat a Cybertronian, especially with the assistance of their military force. They were pitiful, but a nuisance nonetheless when they used their numbers against them. That was nearly seven years ago now, and still the humans fought alongside the Autobots.

What was even worse was that Megatron still led the Decepticons, but Starscream knew that their faith had faltered slightly after the downfall of Harbinger. However, the capture of the youngling may turn the tables around in both Megatron's and Starscream's favour, especially with what they had planned for him when the time was just about right.

"_Cyclonus to Starscream,"_ his com-link buzzed, interrupting his thoughts, _"the Decepticons you requested for this mission should be arriving at your coordinates any nano-klik now."_

"I see them, Cyclonus," the tattooed mech snorted gruffly and he disconnected the com-link before Cyclonus could say something nasty. Though he couldn't help but smirk internally as he spotted the approaching squadron making its way towards him. Two of them settled onto his right, another two onto his left, while the last four drifted lazily behind his tail rudders.

Spotting a decent landing spot, he transformed into his bipedal form and landed in the most graceful manner he could pull off upon the roof of a tall building. He glanced up, watching the group follow his lead and land a little roughly on the rooftop.

"Decepticons," Starscream commanded, arms tied behind his back in a casual manner, "state your designations."

The four mechs designated themselves as Skywarp, Thundercracker, and a newly repaired Ramjet and Vortex. Starscream wasn't surprised that Cyclonus had sent this pathetic lot with him again. Nothing surprised him anymore. What was the loyal soldier hoping to accomplish by sending these four underlings to him like last time when he had tried to capture the youngling no more than over four weeks ago?

Shaking his head, his attention diverted to the four femmes standing on the mechs' right. "Designations, now," he ordered, scowling.

"Blackarachnia," a petite, black femme responded with a hiss, spreading two pairs of unusual legs on her back. She nodded to the other small, black femme on her left. "This is my sister Airachnid. We are twins."

Airachnid pulled her lips back to reveal sharp fangs, hissing aggressively and the two pairs of extra legs on her back spread out widely, each one ending with sharp claws that looked like they could cut through solid steel.

Starscream nodded. Twin femmes were extremely rare amongst Decepticon ranks, and these two were certainly one of the most unusual pairs they had ever seen. From what he knew about these two, they were part of Shockwave's experiments many years ago in an attempt to fuse Transformer biology with eight-legged Insecticon CNA. Seven subjects had been used in the project, but only six of them survived. Blackarachnia and Airachnid were two of those survivors.

The third femme with her hands upon her hips, a gruff exterior about her, and broad wings extending from her back, just shook her head dismissively. "Slipstream," she answered coolly, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't get in my way and I won't get in yours."

_A quiet one, it seems,_ Starscream thought to himself. A voice inside his head told him that he should avoid this femme's wrath because she was definitely someone not to be trifled with in battle, despite her quiet nature and her gruff attitude. Simple enough, he liked soldiers that didn't speak much anyway.

His attention was soon diverted to the last femme, who hadn't spoken a word since their arrival at their destination. He peered a little closer at her and his optics blinked in surprise. "Thunderblast, what are you doing here? Are you really willing to risk the life of your sparkling in battle?"

A slender hand slapped him across the faceplates, shocking him and the rest of the group. "I am the femme commander of the Decepticons, Starscream," Thunderblast snapped angrily. "It is my job to lead the femmes to victory whether you like it or not!"

Rubbing the right side of his cheek, Starscream muttered something inaudible underneath his breath. "Have it your way, femme," he hissed as he turned away from the snickering mechs and femmes and made his way over to the edge of the building, watching far below as he noticed the human military attempting to evacuate the civilians once again. _So weak,_ he thought darkly, _so easily frightened by the simplest of things._

He turned back to the squadron, who stood at attention and ready for battle, waiting for him to give them the signal.

"Decepticons," he bellowed at the top of his vocal processor and flickering his arm towards the ground swiftly, "attack!"

* * *

If Rodimus' warning sensors hadn't gone off and his optical sensors hadn't seen what was going on in front of him he would not have believed it. Right ahead of him and his group, Mission City was in flames. Pillars of smoke billowed from the once proud city that had once been his birthplace. He really hadn't planned on coming back to Mission City, not like this. He could hear screams of panic from the humans; explosions from plasma blasts, and memories of long ago were beginning to plague his processor.

No, he couldn't let the past haunt him like that! He had to concentrate on here and now, not focus on what had once been. He pushed those thoughts into the back of his cranium and letting his determination replace his doubts and fears.

"_Autobots, gun it to the maximum!"_ Ironhide ordered. _"Prowl just called and told me he and the backup won't arrive for two micro-cycles. He sent Skyfire ahead of them, but he won't make it in time to give assistance. It's up to us to slow down the 'Cons for as long as we can until help arrives."_

Everyone responded with a 'Yes sir!' and Rodimus quickly switched in his gearstick to the highest setting. His wheels spun furiously like during the time he had raced with his friends and he quickly began to inch ahead of the others. He heard Ironhide and Springer gasp in surprise at how fast he was pulling away from them.

"I'm going ahead of you to see what I can do to assist the humans," he called to them, the gap between himself and the others growing even further that confirmed his urgency to get there before them.

He heard Ironhide sigh, _"Alright, but just be careful. If you don't make it through this, then Optimus will have my cranium on a platter. By all means, do not fight the 'Cons unless it is absolutely necessary. Do I make myself clear, kid?"_

"I read you, sir," the young Prime responded.

"_Good. Arcee, Springer, go with Rodimus. You're faster than me because of my condition. Guard him with your life."_

"_Understood, sir,"_ Arcee replied sincerely.

Springer didn't exactly answer straight away. Instead, he answered by letting his armour shift in random directions to form his dark green jetfighter form and pushed off the ground with his hands just as he finished transforming. He blasted away with his thrusters and flew directly above Rodimus, sticking close to his tailpipe.

Arcee drifted a little closer to Ironhide for a moment, her tone softening with worry, _"Are you sure you'll be alright on your own?"_

Ironhide chuckled deeply, his chassis trembling a little. _"Don't worry about me, Arcee,"_ he answered kindly. _"I'll be fine. I'm not as young or as fast as I used to be, but I'm strong enough to handle a bunch of dumb 'Cons on my own. Now get going before Rodimus gets there first. He will need a lot of assistance in protecting those humans."_

The young femme sighed reluctantly, _"Aye-aye, sir."_ She switched on her nitro boosters and sped on after Springer and Rodimus. She caught up with them in a matter of seconds until she was on Rodimus' right side and underneath Springer. _"I'll race you guys,"_ she said cheekily.

"You're on, Arcee!" Rodimus laughed, drawing further and further ahead of her. This time, Arcee seemed to keep up with him as they drew closer to the burning city. Springer announced that they were under a mile away from it, and this only fuelled Rodimus' fears even more.

The race was soon forgotten when they reached the outskirts of the city, and Rodimus instantly transformed into his bipedal form for the first time in days. He wanted to stretch his limbs, but it would have to wait until the incident was over. Arcee and Springer followed in suit behind him, standing on either side of him and glancing around at the terrible scene that awaited them.

Rodimus' optics squinted, his processor flashing those painful memories of long ago over and over again. He realised that they were on the street where he had been born. He didn't even know how he knew because he had been blind during the whole battle, but something told him that this was the very same spot he had been all those years ago.

He didn't have time to wonder anymore as a massive boom knocked him and his companions off their feet. He was tossed backwards and his newfound battle instinct kicked in, allowing his body to tuck itself in to protect itself and he dug his toes into the concrete with his digits burrowing to hold himself steady. His doorwings bristled along with emotions and he felt a need to turn and run, but he knew that he couldn't, not when human lives were riding on the line. He was well aware of Springer and Arcee already back up and in their battle poses, ready to fight this menace.

There was another loud bang that sounded awfully like the barrier of sound being broken, but this time the force came from behind and he was quick to roll to one side, followed by Arcee and Springer. He glanced up and spotted a familiar F22 Raptor rising into the sky before it turned around and headed straight for them again, only this time it dive-bombed for the ground. Its armour began to shift and slide, forming into a recognisable Decepticon.

Starscream completed his transformation and landed on the ground, his birdlike feet gripping the ground and holding him steady as he slid down the street, sending vehicles flying around him as he made his way towards them.

Another memory of long ago flashed across Rodimus' optics... memories of being helplessly blind and struggling to work out how he was self-aware while being knocked off his wheels by a tremendous push. Back then he couldn't see a thing because his optical sensors had been damaged and instinct had driven him to flee for his life. It was a life that had ended up crossing paths with a homeless human, a human who he owed himself to.

Wait! That feeling he had felt before after he had awakened and the move Starscream was pulling. Why did it seem so familiar? Oh Primus! Starscream was the one who sent him running like the coward that he was?

"Distracted, youngling?" a voice spat from in front of him.

"What?" Rodimus questioned, clearly puzzled. Something heavy and hard slammed into his face, sending him hurtling into a burning building. Broken pieces of glass, dirt and stone bounced off of his armour and a wave of dizziness overwhelmed his equilibrium sensors. He heard Arcee cry out his name, but everything was all a blur. Two pairs of optics peered down upon him; one of their owners began to shake him a little roughly.

"Rodimus, snap out of it!" a familiar voice growled in his face, forcing him to snap out of his daze.

"I'm up, I'm up!" he cried, rubbing his head painfully and shoved Springer away from him. Gentle hands carefully picked him back up and he knew that it was Arcee who was helping him. Once he was back on his feet again, Springer and Arcee pointed their weapons at Starscream.

His audio receptors rang with screams of terror from down a street not too far from them. All three Autobots turned their heads and spotted Ramjet and Vortex – newly repaired and more dangerous than ever – herding a group of humans while above them Cybertronian jetfighters were flying in the sky, destroying buildings in their wake. Even more panicked humans cried out for help.

Rodimus whirled upon his companions. "Springer," he called to him, "take off and try to distract the Decepticon fliers."

Springer frowned, almost as though he was hesitant about doing this job. He seemed to know that he would be outnumbered against the enemy, but when he saw the fierce confidence in his Prime's optics and the trust he was placing in him, he reconsidered. "Very well then, Sir," he sighed a little bit reluctantly.

Transforming into his jet form, he ignited his plasma burners powerfully and took off into the air.

Once he was gone, Arcee's gaze shifted over to Rodimus', who had never taken his optics off the sky. "What do you want me to do?" she asked loud enough to get his attention.

"Arcee," Rodimus ordered, all emotion leaving his tone, "help the military force protect the civilians while I distract Starscream."

For the first time since they had met, he saw hesitation and doubt in his friend's beautiful azure optics. He knew that she trusted him completely, but how deep that trust was placed was beyond him. This was no time to doubt, especially when human lives were riding on the line.

"Arcee, go," he begged frantically, his doorwings trembling violently with fear and a hint of rage. "I don't have time for any doubts. Please just trust me."

Again, there was that look of confusion, hesitation, and doubt on his delicate facial features. Rodimus wasn't sure whether she was going to comply or not, but finally the human cries tore her away from him. "Yes, Sir," she whispered before she turned, transformed into her vehicle form and raced off down the road as quickly as she could.

Rodimus felt his spark ache for those commands he gave to his dearest friend, and it hurt him more than anything to send her away from his side. But his orders had to be carried away. He had learned enough from Optimus to know what to do, and all he had to do was place his trust in his soldiers.

He turned to face Starscream, who had been watching the entire scene unfold before him. "Your blind faith in your Autobots will be your downfall, youngling," he sneered.

"Say what you want," Rodimus growled angrily. "I trust my men unlike you or Megatron!"

"Enough talk! Let's get started, and when I'm finished with you, there will be nothing left to put you back together!"

The young Prime got into his fighting stance and mockingly motioned Starscream to come forward. "Let's dance," he smirked.


	8. Fire Rains from Heaven

If Prowl really had a word to describe 'slow' it would be this damn shuttle he was piloting. Even though Wheeljack had installed hyperspace cores into it and its siblings to allow it faster travel than the speed of light, it would never work when the shuttle were in a planet's atmosphere. He was well aware that Bumblebee and Sideswipe were impatient to get to their destination, but he wasn't even sure if they would make it in time.

He glanced down at the console to check their whereabouts and he was unimpressed to learn that they were 2000ft above California City, which meant they were only 174.7km from Mission City. Frustration gnawed in the pit of his consumption tank, and he wished that Wheeljack would at least install in better thrusters that would put even the greatest of Seekers to shame in their space bridging technology.

Sighing, he returned his attention to his piloting. He just hoped that Ironhide and his team would hold on until they arrived.

The groan of gears and the creaking of hydraulics drew Prowl's audio receptors. He soon became aware of the snarl and curses that were being spat from Bumblebee's vocal processor, making him realise just how much the urgency was to get there.

"Bumblebee, Sideswipe," Brawn demanding annoyingly, "why is this youngling so important to you? Why would you even bother with protecting him? Everyone knows he's nothing but trouble ever since Optimus pulled him from out of the gutter."

Bumblebee stiffened, his doorwings standing erect as he whirled upon Brawn and stamped up to him, his footfalls heavy and his stance highly aggressive. He then shoves himself in the smaller mech's face, growling, "Mind your own business! Rodimus means a lot more to me and Sideswipe than you realise."

"Stand down the both of you!" Ratchet ordered. "Bumblebee, leave Brawn alone, otherwise I'll tear you a new one." He turned to Brawn, scowling. "Brawn, keep your mouth shut unless you're spoken to. Do I make myself clear you two?"

Bumblebee's doorwings were still high, but he backed up several steps and sat beside Sideswipe, his face becoming sombre and worried. He was well aware of Sideswipe leaning in closer to him to speak in private to him. "Are you alright, Bee?"

He shook his head sadly, whispering back to his friend, "No, I'm not, Sides. I have a very bad feeling about this mission, and I don't know even know why I do."

"I agree with you," Sideswipe frowned. "I have the exact same feeling too, and I cannot even describe how I know that something bad is going to happen. I just... hope that we'll get there in time before it's too late."

Mirage, who had been silent the entire time, glanced over his shoulder and shouted to the front, "Prowl, what's our ETA?"

Another sigh escaped from in between Prowl's dental plates. He really had hoped that no one would ask him that question as dread slowly filled his processor over the fact that they may already be too late to save Rodimus and the others... No! He couldn't think like that! He had to hope that they would make it in time before something terrible happened to their new Prime. By Primus, he will ensure that this bucket of bolts got there in time!

"ETA is half a micro-cycle," he finally answered. "Skyfire is two nano-cycles ahead of us and should arrive within a few kliks if he keeps up the speed that he's going."

"Skyfire would be halfway around the world if he pushed even faster," Brawn joked with a smirk. Ratchet laughed at this, but Bumblebee and Sideswipe remained silent, neither did their expressions falter from their worried thoughts about their young charge.

Ratchet stops laughing when he sees the looks on the two solemn faces and glances over to Prowl. "How far is the squadron from the city?" he asked.

Prowl said nothing as he privately checked in with Bluestreak, though he answered Ratchet with a hint of hope in his tone, "The F22 Raptors are exactly the same distance as Skyfire." He taps into communications with the pearl white mech. "Skyfire, this is Prowl. The squadron is just ahead of you. Meet up and lead them against the enemy fliers if there are any."

"_I'm already on it, Prowl,"_ Skyfire responded a little bit excitedly, causing Prowl to smile a little. _"I can see them dead ahead of me and have let them know I have arrived by contacting them. They're granting me permission to lead the assault."_

Prowl nodded with satisfaction, even though Skyfire couldn't see it. "Then I wish you good luck. May Primus bless your wings, Skyfire – Commander of the _Elpis_."

"_Thank you, Prowl,"_ Skyfire replied almost emotionlessly. _"I hope that you'll get there soon. Skyfire out."_

As the com-link died into white noise, Prowl bowed his head and sent a mental prayer to Primus, hoping that Rodimus would be alive by the time they got to their destination. He also hoped that he didn't pull a stupid stunt like the last time that involved the crash-landing of a shuttle in the middle of a battlefield during the Battle of Alaska.

Oh, who was he kidding? Rodimus had got out of tougher situations than this before. Something was bound to happen that would turn the tide of the battlefield.

"Let's just hope that Primus is indeed on our side today," he whispered to himself.

* * *

"**RAGH!**" Rodimus roared as he charged directly for Starscream. His cry almost echoed over the exploding din around them, and the shocked look on his opponent's faceplates indicated he hadn't expected him to go straight for the target. Rodimus took advantage of that by running up the long legs and performing a back flip, his heels connecting with Starscream's chin.

Starscream stumbled from the surprise attack that seems to snap him out of his daze, but not before Rodimus ran up his legs once more. But instead of pulling the same move like before, he placed both hands on the broad shoulders and front flipped over him. Starscream felt his legs quiver a little from the move and he turns in an attempt to catch him off guard, but the young Prime landed in a crouching position just behind his back and ducked the outstretched claws, though one of them nicked his antenna, making him wince.

Rodimus closed his optics for a split second, his concentration never faltering as his left hand converted into his signature blade, the very blade that helped him to take down Harbinger all those months ago. Using his newly acquired reflexes, he twisted his body 90 degrees and dug the sharp side of his blade directly into Starscream's side. A satisfying metallic crunching noise echoed through his audio receptors, precious energon splattering on the concrete ground and coating his ruby and flamed armour.

He burrowed the blade deeper into the metal, sending sparks flying and even more energon pouring into puddles. Starscream's cries caused his hearing to sing loudly, the prudent smell of the fluid and the feeling of heat on his armour made him want to do so much more to this disgusting Decepticon. Then a question burned into his processor: what was taking Starscream so long into counterattacking?

He got his answer when a long, clawed arm knocked the wind out of his oxygen tanks and sent him flying, dirt and pieces of metal forming in his wake. Something sharp pierced the soft metal on his right cheek and he realised that he had been cut on the face by stray debris.

A whooshing noise brought his attention back into the battle. He glanced up in time to see Starscream getting pushed into the air by the thrusters on his back, going higher and higher until he cut all power and dropped straight towards Rodimus, his birdlike feet extended in an attempt to crush him beneath his weight. Rodimus' sensors calculated the trajectory and, with just a mere fraction of a second to spare, he rolled to one side and Starscream landed just moments where he had just been with a loud thud, dust and dirt kicking up beneath him.

Rodimus picked himself back up, his azure optics flashing with raw determination, and he charged once more.

* * *

"Arcee, see if you can cover our flanks," General Lennox ordered the byzantine femme, glancing up at her as she approached. "We've got to escort these people to transportation vehicles. The injured will be taken to ambulances, but Epps and some of my men will assist you as best as possible."

The young femme nodded. "Of course General William Lennox," she smiled. "I'll do my best to protect you until everyone is safe."

"Um, it's 'Will' thanks," Lennox sighed irritably, shaking his head. What was it with the Cybertronians in calling him by his rank and full name? He decided to dismiss it for the time being. Right now, he had a job to do until help arrived.

"I apologise... Will," Arcee groaned, pulling out her plasma rifle and checking to make sure that it was loaded and ready. "I... have a lot on my processor." To prove it, her soft optics shifted over to where Rodimus was fiercely battling Starscream. She chewed her lip with worry when she saw the Decepticon vice commander lash out at Rodimus and sent him flying down the street.

Lennox glanced from Arcee to Rodimus, and then back at the concerned look on her delicate facial features. These Cybertronians never ceased to amaze him with their constant similarities. They reminded him so much of his own species, heck they even acted like them all the time. He shook his head, knowing exactly what she was thinking. Love always glowed brightly in the eyes ('Optics', he reminded himself) of those who were deeply in love with someone.

He turned to his old friend and motioned him and several of his men to come closer and listen to him carefully. "Alright, listen up. Zimmerman, Quincannon, Hooch, Detour, Klammer, and Stone, your job is to provide Arcee with backup under the command of her and Epps while the rest of us escort the civilians to safety." He clasped his hands together, his retaining the gruff military look. "Do whatever you can to keep the 'Cons away from the civilians, and remember to aim for their eyes or underneath the chest plate where the armour is weaker. If you've got any questions or if you don't want to be part of this mission, now is the time to speak up."

Zimmerman raised an arm and stepped forward, speaking in a calm, quiet tone, "Just one question, sir," he said.

"What's that, kid?" Epps asked, raising a dark eyebrow.

"If we're done talking, then why are we standing around looking like a bunch of idiots?"

Lennox laughed, "Say no more, Zimmerman. We're splitting up now, so good luck and come back alive."

All seven men saluted Lennox and the group immediately dispersed, leaving Arcee alone with the humans. She cocked her weapon, her optics once again shooting over to Rodimus, but then quickly diverted to the skies where Springer's roaring thrusters thundered across the city. He was still keeping the enemy occupied with his ongoing taunting.

A nagging feeling of uncertainty tugged at her spark. She was still confused about her feelings for Rodimus, but there was one thing she did know: her feelings for Springer had completely diminished. However, she still cared about him enough to be a good friend to him. A part of her knew exactly why he was acting so aggressively towards Rodimus and she mentally hoped that things would eventually settle their dispute between them soon.

"Arcee, look out!" Epps cried in alarm.

She didn't get a chance to react as a massive force collided with her and knocking her away from her human companions. She landed a little roughly, dazed for a moment as three pairs of feet touching down behind her.

"Hey, are you alright?" Zimmerman asked from afar.

Holding her head a little as a dizzy spell overtook her equilibrium sensors, she sat up carefully. "A little dazed and perhaps with a few scrapes here and there, but, other than that, I'm fine."

"No, Stone, don't shoot!" Epps shouted. "You could hit Arcee!"

Once the spell wore off and her vision could properly focus, she glanced over her shoulder to see what caused Epps to shout about her being in the way. She soon knew why. Two femme Decepticons that she recognised as Thunderblast the Decepticon femme commander and Slipstream, and the newly repaired Vortex were making their way towards her. Unfortunately, she was smack bang in the middle of the military's line of fire that could've protected her had she not been in this position.

She could do absolutely nothing as they came closer and closer to her, and she really wished that Ironhide would come soon. She honestly couldn't hold off three very experienced warriors all by herself, especially when she had no idea who she was up against, even though she knew everything there was to know about Thunderblast and Vortex. Slipstream, sadly, was a complete mystery to her.

All she could do was mutter a string of Cybertronian curses that would have made even the most innocent of Autobots to wince.

* * *

A rapid shot plasma bursts hit Airachnid in the wing, sending her falling from the sky down to the city below them. Springer's laughter echoed from his vocal processor, but he was met with disappointment when she resumed flying. Oh well, it was more fun fighting a lot of enemies rather than one less. But he knew that he wasn't here to fight them, he had his orders to follow, even if he didn't agree with Rodimus' methods.

His sensors went off, telling him of two rapidly approaching Decepticon jetfighters that he identified as Ramjet and Thundercracker. They were coming either side of him, and they weren't stopping. He stayed for a moment longer before he powered up his plasma burners and rocketed upwards and the two slammed into each other, sending them plummeting to the ground below.

"Eat my vapour trail, you motherfraggers!" Springer mocked as he accelerated forward, pushing himself to the limit. He only had so much time, but he had to keep them off the back of his Prime for as long as possible while he dealt with Starscream. Primus, he hated doing distractions, it wasn't any fun.

"_You'll pay for that, Autobot!"_ Thundercracker snarled from beneath him.

"Payment doesn't come with words, aft-hole!" Springer shot back. His sensors detected that Ramjet and Thundercracker were back in action, and Blackarachnia, Airachnid, and Skywarp were not too far behind them. Seemed like he had fully diverted their attention onto his aft, and that was good enough. Time to lead them away from the city! His thrusters burned powerfully and he flew towards the West as fast as he possibly could.

As he flew, he could sense that Skywarp was pulling away from the group and flying straight towards him. Oh, absolutely no way in Pit was that creep going to catch up with him! Springer let off another burst of power into his thrusters, the plasma burning into Skywarp's face and earning a cry of pain. Hah!

"Like I said," Springer shot over his shoulder, "payment doesn't come with words!"

He continued to fly faster, but he knew that he couldn't keep this up forever. Every energy burst he poured into his thrusters, his energy readings whined in protest and he lost a bit of ground in trying to keep the Decepticons away from the city.

"There's got to be something I can do..." he said out loud.

His sensors blared, but it wasn't coming from behind him, having left the enemy behind him, but only momentarily thanks to a cloud he was swiftly flying through. Primus, he hoped that wasn't one of the Decepticons!

A com-link changed pinged to him, and an all too familiar one at that. "Skyfire!" he cried excitedly. "You made it!"

The cloud opened up to reveal that far ahead of him, he could see a pearl white Lancer B1-B in the distance with eleven F22 Raptors in perfect formation behind it.

"_Yes, Springer,"_ Skyfire's deep baritone voice echoed through his com-link, _"it is I. Why are you out so far from the city?"_

"I'm causing a distraction for Rodimus while he fits Starscream," Springer answered with relief, drawing closer toward his friend.

"_Rodimus is fighting Starscream?!"_ Skyfire cried alarmingly. _"Ugh, that doesn't matter right now. We have to deal with those Decepticons that are hot on your tailpipe. Make your way towards me quickly before they realise what's going on."_

"You got it, Skyfire!"

Springer's sensors confirm that the Decepticons had made it through the cloud and were heading straight towards him again. He worried that he didn't quite have the energy to fight them all off, but he had a feeling that Skyfire had some kind of plan involved in his coming to him.

"_Drop down on my mark,"_ the older mech ordered as Springer saw him transform his machine guns on his wings. _"Ready... 3... 2... 1... Mark!"_

Springer dropped his altitude as fast as he could, freefalling rapidly. The machine fire blew by his tail rudders, hitting Skywarp and Thundercracker from out of the blue. They fell towards the ground, their backs burning from the attack. The dark green mech transformed back into his bipedal form, powered by his thrusters, he grabbed his double-barrelled blaster and rotated around, firing upon Ramjet. Just like Skywarp and Thundercracker, he dropped like a stone as the plasma made contact with his armour.

Immediately, Skyfire and the F22 Raptors engaged Blackarachnia and Airachnid in a dogfight for a moment until Ramjet locks himself onto Springer's aft. "You're mine, Autobot!" he snarled angrily.

Growling, Springer hovered and took a carefully trained aim at his incoming opponent.

He fired.

Ramjet fell and he exploded in a plume of fire and smoke. Springer no longer detected anymore life signs from him.

"**Retreat!**" Thundercracker ordered from down below. "**Sooner or later, Springer, you're going to regret for what you've done to Ramjet!**"

"Oh yeah?" Springer shot back. "Why don't you try working more with your rifle or your fists rather than your motor mouth?"

Blackarachnia and Airachnid broke off from the dogfight and descended toward Skywarp and Thundercracker. They retrieved them and blasted away as quickly as they could, leaving the seven remaining F22 Raptors, Skyfire and Springer to celebrate their victory.

"_You did a good job, squadron,"_ Skyfire said to the lead pilot. _"We can take it from here."_

"_It was a pleasure working alongside you, Skyfire, sir,"_ the human replied. _"Until we meet again."_

The F22s departed and headed back to base, while Springer smiled happily at his friend as he transformed into his bipedal form. "Thanks for the assist, Skyfire," he told him merrily. "I couldn't have done it without you."

"Happy to help, Springer," Skyfire laughed.

Suddenly a feminie scream echoes through their com-links, one that Springer dreadfully recognised. "Arcee!" he cried, and he whirls upon Skyfire. "We have to get to her now!"

Skyfire nodded, as though he sensed the urgency. "We've got to hurry!" He glanced down for a moment and his binocular sensors picked a familiar energy signature. "Ironhide is down below us. I'll get him to follow us while you go on ahead."

"Yes, sir," Springer nodded and he poured every ounce of his energy left into his thrusters, heading straight towards Arcee as fast as he could. He just hoped he would get there in time.

* * *

The scream echoed through Rodimus' audio receptors, causing him to stop dead in his tracks and glance in the direction it had come from. Horror gripped him in its icy talons when he saw who had screamed: Arcee. He could see his best friend was on her knees being held by the arms by a femme he knew would be Slipstream and Vortex, while another femme that he recognised as Thunderblast is throwing a series of punches in her face. Anger bubbled violently inside his chest and his hands clenched tightly into fists.

"Arcee!" he cried fearfully. "I'm coming, just hold on!"

Forgetting about Starscream, he attempted to rush to the aid of his friend, but a hard force makes him stumble. A pair of hands grabs him from underneath the armpits and he was thrown aside like as if he was a ragdoll. He flew through the air for a bit until he regained control of his momentum and twisted himself around, facing back down towards the ground. Tucking his arms tightly against his sides and legs pointed behind him, he dived straight towards Starscream at a particularly fast pace.

As he fell, he redrew his blade from his left forearm and stuck it outwards away from his body. He corrected his position, bringing his blade close to his chest until he landed beside Starscream; he burrowed it deep into his injured side.

Starscream cried out once more before he fell, clutching his injured side.

Withdrawing his blade, Rodimus quickly removed himself from the battlefield, charging straight towards the three Decepticons who were harming Arcee.

As he drew closer, a ball of plasma hurtled its way straight towards a group of civilians making their way towards the transportation vehicles.

He stopped dead in his tracks and his legs became wobbly, his processor began to burn, his head started to swim, and his vision blurred...

_Screams of fear... _

_A ball of plasma flying towards a group of frightened humans... _

_Taking the blast..._

_The cries of agony..._

_Armour melting from the powerful heat... _

_His weak voice telling the humans to run..._

_A femme standing over him with a plasma rifle aimed at his head, laughter of bloodlust and glee in her voice..._

_His optics closed, waiting for the end..._

The vision ended and he could move, think, and see again. Shaking his head, Rodimus ran straight towards the group of humans, and he felt like he was moving in slow motion. Time seemed to stand still as he continued to run, his right hand stretched towards them. He wasn't sure if he was going to make it. He could see the terrified looks on the children's faces, smell the sweat on the men, and hear the sobbing of the women as they comforted their little ones. Could he make it?

Finally, time resumed and he leapt forward between the ball of plasma and the humans. The ball made direct contact with his body and his vocal processor let off a bloodcurdling scream of agony that rattled the heavens above him. His armour slowly starts to melt from the 1000 degree heat of the plasma, and he fell to his knees, withering in pain and shock from the contact.

Through his pained optics, he saw the relieved looks from the men and women, but concern was planted firmly in the eyes of the children. He tried to get up, but the pain in his joints prevented him from moving. "Run..." he gasped weakly.

Footfalls fill his audio receptors and he swivels his neck upward, metal creaking in protest, to see Thunderblast standing over him. Thunderblast looks down upon him with ruthlessness in her optics, and Rodimus knew he was in trouble. He had enough information about her to know that she was way too dangerous for him to fight all by himself. He heard Arcee screaming his name and he could see that she was still being held down by Slipstream and Vortex.

Epps and his men arrive and quickly remove the civilians out of the way back to the safety of the transportation vehicles. Rodimus mouths a 'thank you' to him and Epps gives the thumbs up, giving the all clear.

Rodimus sighed with relief, but then he stopped stock still and looked up at Thunderblast, his insides freezing along with his will to move thanks to the plasma that was eating away at his armour. She points her rifle at his head, the plasma in the barrel heating up his body.

"Rodimus!" Arcee screamed over the building up heat in the rifle, kicking wildly to get out of the grip of the two Decepticons, but Slipstream releases a powerful punch that knocks her out.

Rodimus glared furiously at the Decepticon femme. She was going to pay big time for that! "Don't you dare touch her, you bitch! I swear by both God and Primus I'll shoot your head off like I did to Blast Off!"

Slipstream looked over at him and she smiles faintly, but says nothing in response to his threat. He knew it was pointless to threaten a Decepticon when he was in such a pathetic position, but he had to try.

The barrel is still aimed at his head, and Rodimus turns his optics offline, waiting for the end...

...but it doesn't come.

He opened his optics to see Thunderblast lower the weapon and he notices an evil smirk planted firmly on her lips. She then pulled out a familiar object from her subspace pocket and he instantly recognised it as a syringe that had the same glowing blue liquid that Ratchet had once used in the past to knock him out when he first met the Autobots.

"You know what this is, don't you, youngling?" Thunderblast questioned darkly, inching closer to him.

Rodimus struggled to move his limbs, but a massive pair of hands held him down, preventing him from even getting back onto his feet. "No..." he whispered.

Thunderblast came closer until she was completely standing over him. She pulls back the plating on his neck, exposing the delicate energon line beneath, she then jabs the needle into it and slowly inserts the glowing liquid.

"No..." Rodimus cried weakly, still attempting to at least put up a fight as the drug starts to take immediate effect. His head falls to one side, followed by his vision turning black, but not before a pair of clawed hand grabs his chin and he's force to look into the leering red optics of a familiar figure.

"Very soon, youngling," the figure sneered, "everything you know and love will be torn out of your spark. I will enjoy having the satisfaction of watching you beg for mercy. You will know pain like nothing you have felt before."

The figure released his hold on Rodimus and the only thing he could hear was Arcee's scream and Starscream's mocking laughter as he falls heavily to the ground.

* * *

Uh oh. Yes, that's all I can say. It's a nasty cliffhanger, but... oh dear. What will happen to Roddy now? Le gasp!


	9. The Aftermath

I apologise for the quickness of the last chapter, but I really, really didn't have much to think about, as I just wanted to get over and done with in order to process the story forward in preparation for... hmmm, a special treat for you people. Can't say what it is, it will spoil the surprise for you! Haha!

Anyways, this here is The Aftermath of the last chapter's previous events. We find out what really happened to Rodimus and Arcee. Did Arcee even survive? Uh oh. Nah, not telling you! So sit back and keep on reading!

* * *

The flight back to Mission City didn't take as long as Springer thought. Once they reached the city where he had last seen Rodimus, he transformed into his bipedal form and depowered the plasma burners on his pedes, allowing him to fall and touchdown on the concrete. But instead of being greeted with a normally noisy street that was usually filled with honking cars and happy-go-lucky humans, he was met with total destruction.

It had been absolute carnage, even before he had left Rodimus to distract the Decepticon squadron. There were cars flipped over with flames licking at their chassis, scorched patches from explosions covered buildings and the ground that he walked on, and pieces of debris pretty much littered the entire area.

Yet there was no sign of Rodimus, Arcee, or Starscream.

Springer felt fear latch onto his spark, fear for the safety of the femme he once loved, and even the wellbeing of his Prime. Wait, he was concerned for Rodimus? That wasn't like him! Sure, Rodimus was his Prime, but he had drawn the attention of Arcee after she had dumped him, and it had caused spite between him and the flamed mech. Well, he was the one who started the dispute, but was he blaming himself for the possible disappearance of Rodimus?

"Do your sensors pick up anything, Springer?"

He jumped in surprise as Skyfire approached on his left and asked him the question. He hadn't noticed the mech come up behind him until he had spoken. He shook his head in frustration. "Nothing," he sighed sombrely. "I can't pick up anything with all this interference coming from the smoke and heat. It's scrambling just about everything." Doubt began creeping into his processor. "Skyfire... do you... think we could be too late?"

The older mech shook his head, as though he refused to believe what Springer was implying. "We cannot know for certain until we do some digging around," he replies in a casual tone. "Come on; let's see what we can find."

Springer nodded and tailed behind Skyfire, keeping his optics open for any signs of clues that may help them figure out what happened. As they trudged through the debris, with every sensor on high alert for anything out of the ordinary, Springer couldn't help but think that perhaps they were indeed too late and maybe something terrible had caused both Arcee and Rodimus to vanish off the radar. Though that didn't exactly explain what happened to Starscream either. Primus, he just wanted to slap his processor, trying what he could to work out everything.

But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't piece it together. If Starscream had been killed, they would have found his body with his spark extinguished out of existence. However, that wouldn't answer as to why Rodimus and Arcee had vanished without a trace, and why the latter had screamed in the first place.

"Oof!" Springer winced as he bumped face first into Skyfire's back, startling him out of his train of thought and falling on his aft. He shot the back of his cranium a glare, but then he soon grew puzzled as to why the large mech had stopped. He picked himself off the ground and stood alongside his former captain. "What's wrong?"

Skyfire raised a hand, ordering him to be silent. Springer did so, waiting for permission to speak again, though Skyfire seemed extremely quiet for a strange reason, almost as though he was listening carefully to the wind.

Springer had to remind himself that this mech was one of the best fliers amongst the Autobots, someone who had been trained by the best of the best of long ago, though he trained himself when he learned from his mother that he was descended from a Seeker, though she wouldn't say who her father was, only that he was very old and long gone, but he had died a noble death. It was something that Skyfire was extremely proud of.

Then, without warning, Skyfire whipped his head around and began running down a street to his right, shocking Springer. "What is it?" he asked, but when he got no response from him he blinked a few times, shrugged his shoulders and took after him, trusting those acute sensors that had never ceased to amaze him.

Skyfire kept on running until he grounded to a halt, broad Seeker wings standing on end in a similar fashion to those with doorwings. Springer came up alongside him and he saw what had caused him to run off.

He gasped in horror at the sight that was before.

Lying on her side in a small pool of energon with a deep set of dents on her cranium and beautiful, petite facial features was Arcee. She was surrounded by Epps and his team of humans, trying desperately to seal off the bleeding injury on her left side with bits of torn cloth from their uniforms. Epps was shouting something to the one he addressed as Zimmerman, who had rushed off around the corner of a building. Seconds later, he came back with General William Lennox hot on his heels.

They stopped dead in their tracks when they spotted Skyfire and Springer. Zimmerman waved them over, but Springer was quicker. In the blink of an optic, he rushed straight towards Arcee, large pedes smashing the debris in his wake. The humans quickly got out of the way as he reached her and kneel by her side, trying to awaken her from her automatic recharge.

"What happened to her?" he demanded furiously, whirling upon Epps and Lennox, anger clearly seen in his bright blue optics that were starting to leak with tears. "Tell me what happened now!"

Before they could get a chance to explain Skyfire cut them off, who was looking up at the sky, "Save the questioning for later, Springer. Prowl and the others have arrived."

Everyone else looked up to where he was looking and then they heard the unmistakeable sound of rushing wind and the whirling of powerful engines, engines that made even the most powerful of earthen jetfighters seem like nothing. It was then that a shuttle coming from the south uncloaked right above their heads. The massive shuttle descended slowly, its four engines on each corner of its body facing downwards in an attempt to keep itself stabilised enough for the landing gears to come out from its undercarriage. Dust and small bits of debris kicked up in the wake of the forced air being pushed up by the engines. The shuttle then landed with a gentle thud and the hydraulics hissed in slight protest from the weight it took. The engines powered down into ghostly silence, which is then followed by the hatch opening up from the right side of the shuttle, and then a ramp lowered down to let out its passengers.

Prowl, Mirage, Ratchet, Brawn, Sideswipe, and Bumblebee emerge from inside the shuttle. Prowl had the same usual emotionless facial expression along with Mirage and Sideswipe. Ratchet's gaze seemed to be shifting to and fro in order to find out who was injured, though Brawn was glaring at just about everything he looked at while Bumblebee had a very worried look that made Springer's insides grow cold with guilt. How was he going to tell them about Rodimus?

Bumblebee finished glancing around the area, sadness in his optics when he saw the devastation of the city. Once again, it was in ruins just like from nearly seven years ago. His gaze then rested upon the badly injured Arcee and his spark stilled.

Seeing her condition, Ratchet rushed forward to check to make sure she was not too badly damaged and to do what he could for her.

And since Arcee was lying on the ground, then where was Rodimus? Bumblebee glanced over at Sideswipe who stood by his side. "Sides, I don't see him anywhere," he whispered.

Sideswipe said nothing in response, but Bumblebee could sense that he was feeling exactly the same thing that he was: worry, fear, uncertainty, anger. And since Arcee wasn't awake to answer their questions, the only option left was to question the last mech they didn't want to question.

Bumblebee turned his gaze over to Springer and he headed straight towards him, anger taking over his emotions. When he was close enough, he lifted up the taller mech by the neck collar and stared him straight in the optic.

"What are you doing?" Skyfire cried. "Put him down."

"Where is Rodimus, Springer?" Bumblebee demands coldly, ignoring Skyfire, his servos shaking violently, though it was not from the weight of his comrade.

The dark green mech said nothing in response. Instead, a sullen look appeared on his faceplates and he looked away.

"Bumblebee, put Springer down!" a deep voice bellowed from behind.

Human and Autobot turned their heads in the direction of the voice to see Ironhide standing at the end of the street, tiredness in his optics. The black mech approached the group and gently placed a servo upon Bumblebee's still shaking arms.

"Springer is the only one who might know what happened to Rodimus," Bumblebee snaps, returning his attention back to Springer, who still hadn't looked at him.

"I understand that you are upset, youngling," Ironhide soothed, "but what you didn't notice is that Springer and Skyfire were well on their way to aid Rodimus after they heard Arcee scream, but they didn't make it in time."

Bumblebee reluctantly released Springer and stepped back, but he was constantly sending death glares to him every once in a while. He then glanced over to where Ratchet was checking over Arcee. From the looks of it, it didn't seem good at all. He was thoroughly scanning her chassis, muttering something underneath his breath. He carefully turned her on her side, revealing the injury in her side that started gushing out energon all over the place, and he let off a huge string of Cybertronian curses that shocked even Prowl.

He turned and shouted urgently, "Sideswipe, get your aft over here, I need you!"

Sideswipe was at his side in an instant. "Tell me what to do."

"Open the panel in your right forearm and carefully take out an energon line," Ratchet ordered. "Pinch the ending carefully, but don't let go until I say so. I'm going to hook you up to Arcee's own once I stop the bleeding."

The silver mech nodded, doing exactly as he was told. He shifted the armour on his right arm, revealing his soft protoform skin beneath, and pressed a button that caused two pieces of metal to split in half.

Lennox glanced up at Ironhide, who hadn't moved from his spot. "What's Ratchet doing?" he questioned curiously.

Ironhide looked down upon his good human friend, his scarred face unshifting. "Ratchet is going to doing an energon transfusion with the assistance of Sideswipe. The transfusion will help Arcee get the energon she lost into her body after Ratchet seals up the injury."

"Wouldn't that kill her?" Epps asked. "I mean, don't you have to have the same type of energon in order for it to work?"

"Sideswipe, Bumblebee, Arcee, and Springer each come from the same generation," Ironhide replies with a small smile. "Those from the same generation can get an energon transfusion without any problems whatsoever. Though if you got me to do it with her, her spark would reject it and it would cause her antibodies to attack her system without warning."

Finally getting it, the humans all returned their anxious eyes back over to Arcee. Zimmerman was holding a silver cross around his neck to his lips, whispering a prayer to God in the hopes that He would be able to save Arcee in time.

With the wires exposed, Sideswipe carefully unplugged one and pinched it carefully as ordered, waiting for Ratchet's order.

The humans held their breath.

The Autobots' sparks stilled.

The minutes ticked by as Ratchet worked hard and fast, his digits dancing over the metal like there was no tomorrow in an attempt to save the femme's life. Finally, after some time, he let off a sigh of relief and turned to the patient warrior. "Do it," he ordered.

Sideswipe didn't need to be told twice as he inserted the wire into Arcee's own exposed circuitry and began inserting his own energon into her system.

"Well done, Sideswipe," Ratchet smiled. "Now all we have to do is wait. But if you start to feel dizzy, I will immediately disconnect you from her and hope that the energon you're giving to her is enough for her to last the journey back to base."

With a nod of satisfaction, Prowl turned his attention to the humans. He slowly came up to them and kneeled carefully, almost startling some of them from their thoughts. Lennox and Epps came forward with concerned in their eyes. "I suppose you want to know what happened that caused the disappearance of Rodimus and Starscream, correct." Lennox sighed tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose.

Prowl nodded. "Please don't leave anything out. Bumblebee will not be happy no matter what you say. He gets easily concerned about the youngling if something came up involving him."

"Then we'll get straight to the point," Epps spoke up, getting the attention of the other Autobots. He shifted to get comfortable and began. "After Rodimus sent Arcee to assist us in protecting the civilians while Lennox's team escorted them, we kept a sharp look out until Arcee got jumped by three Decepticons – a tall femme who looked extremely dangerous, a silent femme that barely spoke at all, and a mech who looked like he was out for hers and Rodimus' blood, uh, I mean energon. We tried to shoot, but we didn't want to hurt her."

Prowl frowned. "The way you describe them," he said thoughtfully, "they sound oddly like Thunderblast, Slipstream, and Vortex."

"Well," Epps went on, "they meant real business. They just attacked Arcee so hard that she screamed loudly enough to get Rodimus' attention. He quickly took down Starscream, but he didn't kill that stubborn bastard, but he headed straight for Arcee. Then this ball of fire came from Thunderblast and he changed course. Next thing I knew, he took the shot and fell to his knees with his armour melting from the heat of the blast, some of armour fell into chunks of slag."

There were blinks of confusion from the Autobots, but they didn't interrupt.

"Thunderblast then came up to Rodimus, took out some sort of needle that made him panic. She jabbed him with it and it made him fall to the ground. Vortex and Slipstream released Arcee after knocking her out cold and came over to him. Next thing we knew, they picked him up by the armpits and flew away with Thunderblast and the injured Starscream flying close behind. They were laughing all the way back to wherever they came from."

Next thing they knew, Bumblebee was standing beside Prowl furiously. "Where did they go?" he growls.

Epps pointed. "Southeast," he answered a little nervously, wincing at the anger in the mech's tone.

Bumblebee suddenly turned and started rushing back toward the shuttle, but he was grabbed tightly by one arm. He was stopped in his tracks and he whipped his head to him, glaring daggers. "Let go, old timer," he hissed. "I don't want to hurt you."

"And I don't want to hurt you either, Bumblebee," Ironhide snarled back, indicating that there was no room for an argument. "I want to rush off and rescue Rodimus too, but I cannot because we don't have a fraggin' clue as to where they have gone or where their base even is. Even if we could catch up to them, they would be long gone by now."

The young mech sighed reluctantly and nodded with Ironhide letting go of his arm. He switched off his optics and then looked up at the sky, worry for the safety of his charge in his spark. _'I'm so sorry, Hot Rod,'_ he thought.

Prowl sighed and turned to Ratchet. "How is Arcee doing?"

The older mech smiled a little bit at the black and white mech's concern. "She's going to be sore for a while," he replied, never taking his gaze off of her, "no thanks to a nasty punch in her midsection. It may have damaged her womb chamber, but it's repairable and not life threatening thanks to the energon transfusion Sideswipe was able to provide."

Sideswipe had removed himself once he was no longer needed and had returned to Bumblebee's side with a tired expression. Bumblebee guessed he must be exhausted from the transfusion, but he knew that a nice drink of energon and a decent recharge would fix it.

Prowl nodded once again, confirming he had heard.

Ratchet motioned to Ironhide and Skyfire to come forward, and they did so. "Take her back onto the shuttle," he ordered them. "I will come with you to monitor her. Skyfire, take her upper half. Ironhide, you take her lower half. Be very gentle with her, I don't want any rupturing in the welding I've just done."

They complied without question and they carefully carried the unconscious femme back to the shuttle.

Suddenly, Bumblebee whirls upon Springer and he threw a punch in his face. Springer yelped with surprise and landed on his aft, clutching his bruised cheek. Bumblebee stepped forward and once again lifted him up by the neck armour. "If you and Skyfire had been any faster you could have prevented Rodimus from being taken by the Decepticons!" he shouted.

Sideswipe and Prowl rush forward, pulling him away and forcing him to let go of the still in shock Springer.

"It's no one's fault, Bumblebee!" Sideswipe cried, shocking Bumblebee from out of his blind rage. Never had Sideswipe yelled in a long time. Normally he was quiet and soft-spoken, but here he was yelling at the top of his vocal processor.

Springer said nothing and glanced down at the ground, almost as though there was realisation and... guilt. Bumblebee could have sworn that he saw those, but he didn't care anymore. He had said his piece and he wasn't going to take it back.

"Everyone, settle down," Prowl growls. He turns to Bumblebee, anger flashing at him. "Bumblebee, you're getting far too emotional about the situation right now!"

Then Bumblebee glared icily at the vice commander of the Autobots. "If Optimus were still Prime and he weren't suffering from a Primus-forsaken back injury he would have fought Starscream instead, and then Rodimus would still be here and be an ordinary youngling!"

Gasps of shock were heard from Sideswipe, Brawn, Mirage and the humans as he said those words.

No one said a word, but then Prowl turned his back on Bumblebee and whispered lowly, "We all wish that were so."

Sideswipe scowled at Bumblebee. "You went too far there."

Bumblebee just shook his head. "I don't care, because all I know Rodimus could be dead in the hands of the Decepticons, just like how Barricade killed Sam."

"It's unlikely that the Decepticons would kill Rodimus," Prowl said gently. "A Prime is more valuable alive than dead."

"How would you know?"

"With Decepticons, Bumblebee," Prowl replied, "anything is valuable to them." He sighed tiredly and then his gaze shifted toward the rising night-time sky, the stars twinkling faintly in the growing darkness. "I just hope that Rodimus is fully prepared for this."

Sideswipe took a deep breath, asking softly, "What do we do now?"

Prowl answered casually, "All we can do is wait until a solution presents itself. Rodimus will just have to hold on as long as he can until something does." He slowly makes his way back to the shuttle, but he turned to Mirage and Brawn. "Stay behind and assist the humans as best as possible."

Mirage and Brawn saluted at the same time. "Yes, sir."

Satisfied, Prowl goes on back to the shuttle with Springer tailing him, but then he stopped and turned to face Bumblebee and Sideswipe, that same guilty look in his optics. "I'm sorry I failed," he whispers to them.

Their optics widen in surprise, but before they can question his reasons for being so apologetic he continues back to the shuttle.

Once he was gone, Bumblebee bowed his head and Sideswipe drew closer to him, tears leaking from the corners of his optics. "Sides, I'm worried about him more than ever now. I now wish we could have been here sooner to help him."

Sideswipe carefully wrapped a tired arm around his trembling shoulders, pulling him into a comforting hug. "I know, Bee," he whispered back. "I'm worried about him too. Not only that... I'm afraid of what they'll do to him and how he'll cope with it when we get him back. He's only done so much that Prowl could teach him."

"It's not only that I'm scared about," Bumblebee sniffed. "It's the state of his condition when we find him that really worries me."

"If we find him in time," Sideswipe replied, pulling him closer. "For now... all we can do is wait, hope, and pray that Primus will give him the strength that he needs to hold on."

"I'm praying, Sides," the young mech sighed, "with every fibre in my chassis and every portion of my spark."


	10. Olympus Mons

OMFG! I swear I was going to kill my muse if I didn't get my act together on this bitch of a chapter. The notes were frustrating to write, but getting the chapter started was even harder! I could have sworn I lost my muse more than once. Never again!

Alright, so... it seems like we're onto chapter 10 already? Wow! Didn't think I would make it this far. Gosh. No, we're not halfway yet... almost. XD But everyone's continuous support really pushes me forward. Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed. I love you very much, my faithful readers.

Enjoy!

* * *

Megatron's optics widened with glee when he spotted the shuttle dropping out of the atmosphere. His spark stilled when he sensed Thunderblast's _**urges**_ sneaking their way inside him, filling him with a lust that made him smirk with hunger. Standing beside him like a silent ghost, Cyclonus eyed the shuttle with curiosity. Megatron knew that he was just as curious as he was to meet the youngling properly, though he was more determined to find out whether he was truly the adoptive son of Optimus that Doubledealer had reported about during his stay with the Autobots.

If Rodimus had indeed been spending a lot of time with Optimus, he would no doubt be filled to the very core of his spark with purity and the willingness to protect the innocent, just like Starscream had reported how he witnessed him stand between Thunderblast's attack and those pathetic humans. The mere thought of Megatron's little brother's pure spark infuriated him, causing his armour to bristle slightly and he felt the nudge of concern from Thunderblast's spark. The anger inside him melted away and he attempted to shield his emotions from her. He didn't want to look weak in front of his Decepticons.

The gentle thud of the shuttle landing and its thrusters powering down drew him from out of his thoughts, dust kicking up in the wake of the touchdown. Hissing smoke escaped from the hydraulics and the hatch opened up, with Blackarachnia and Airachnid walking out, carrying Thundercracker and Skywarp on their shoulders, followed closely by Slipstream and Vortex with a stretcher in between them. Lying on the stretcher was the small form of the youngling – Rodimus Prime. From what his sensors were able to tell him, Megatron could detect the slow, steady pulse of the youngling's spark, indicating that he was in an induced stasis. He would not wake up unless he was given a counter injection.

Slipstream and Vortex stood before the two smaller mechs standing beside Megatron and Cyclonus – Buzzsaw and Rumble. Stormblue was not the only minion or spy Soundwave kept around. The two taller Decepticons transferred Rodimus' stretcher over to Rumble and Buzzsaw, who carried him away into the base, with Slipstream and Vortex escorting them as an act of keeping an optic of the youngling. But from the corner of Megatron's optics, a small femme – around Vortex's height – eyed Rodimus in an unusual manner, a manner that made him feel suspicious.

He did known the femme's name, but he knew that she was very dangerous to have aboard the Decepticon army. While she was a compatible fighter who did just about anything to win, she often used her feminine side to get what she wanted whenever she wanted. She was obviously someone to be kept an optic on during Rodimus' stay. He would not have his plans ruined by some femme who could not control her need to get in the pants of some handsome mech or beautiful femme whenever she desired.

Megatron's attention was diverted when his com-link quickly alerted him that Soundwave was trying to contact him. He opened up a private channel and the deep, raspy voice of his most trustworthy friend echoed through his audio receptors as he questioned, _"When, Megatron, do I get a chance to 'speak' with the youngling?"_

"_All in good time, Soundwave,"_ Megatron replied with a slight tinge of understanding in his tone. _"I know how much you wish to get into his head, but I want you to be patient. I would like to talk with the youngling myself – face to face – when he has settled in after he has awakened from his stasis."_

"_Thank you, Megatron,"_ Soundwave said and he disconnected the com-link. Megatron could have sworn he heard a faint hint of a purr in his voice when he thanked him. It was... unusual for the emotionless mech to show even a tiny amount of it. The last time Soundwave did it, it had been when he got to interrogate Optimus after he had been captured by the Decepticons a long time ago.

However, he was forced to look away when Starscream and Thunderblast approached him. It was obviously time to receive a report from them. Shaking his head and dismissing the thoughts for now, Megatron straightened his posture and went to meet with them.

"Starscream, Thunderblast, report," he growled warningly, making them flinch under his threatening growl. He noticed amongst the group that someone was missing. "Where is Ramjet?"

"Springer... killed him, Sir," Starscream muttered, bowing his head to avoid his master's glare. "After Rodimus ordered him to create a distraction for our team, Thundercracker reported that Skyfire and a squadron of F22 Raptors were ahead and he was shot down along with Skywarp. Springer took advantage of the chaos by twisting around during midair transformation and shot down Ramjet. Ramjet fell and he burst into flames. He didn't even survive the crash-landing."

Without warning, Megatron lashed out with one arm forward and grabbed Starscream by the throat, yanking him towards his face as he bore his fangs, growling menacingly. "You mean to tell me that Thundercracker and the rest of the squadron were distracted by some pathetic little triple-changer, and all you can tell me is that _they_ were outsmarted by _**him**_?!" He pulled Starscream closer, lips curling up into a fierce snarl. "I should kill you right where you stand if Thunderblast hadn't privately reported to me and Soundwave that it was she, Vortex, and Slipstream who captured the youngling."

He tossed Starscream aside and he landed in a pile of Martian sand, bright red dust scattering and rocks bouncing off his armour. Megatron stomped heavily over to him, towering over his trembling vice commander. "What else have you and your squad failed to do, Starscream?" He rose one foot above Starscream's head, preparing to crush his cranium as flat as a pancake.

Starscream winced and made an attempt to shield his face. "That's all I have to tell you, master!" he wailed, his voice pitching with panic. "Please, don't kill me! I fought the youngling and let him gain the advantage like you ordered me to. I did nothing else, master! I swear it!"

A hand rested upon Megatron's shoulder, causing him to glance over and see Thunderblast's sultry red optics looking into his own, almost as though she was silently pleading him to not hurt Starscream. "Megatron, Starscream is telling the truth," she told him gently, her own tone hiding a hint of fear for what she was doing. "Please just let him go."

Growling dangerously, Megatron shrugged off the hand and slammed his foot into the ground, landing with a loud thud right by Starscream's head. He leaned over his vice commander and gripped him in one of his clawed hands. "The next time you fail again, Starscream, I will not let you live. Have I made myself clear?" he shouted.

"Yes, master, of course!" Starscream whimpered. "As clear as crystal."

"Good," Megatron sneered and released his hold. Starscream fell to the ground, his red optics blinking up his master in surprise. "Now get out of my sight..."

Starscream didn't need to be told twice. He scrambled to his feet and made a bolt to the base.

Megatron sighed tiredly, bowing his head. It was becoming harder for him to command his army than he originally thought. But the fact remained that while he was in charge, there was to be no failure. Failure was no longer an option, and he was determined to see to it that the Autobots would be without hope. Even with Rodimus in their clutches, he knew that it would be only a matter of time before the Autobots found their base of operations. They would have to break Rodimus quickly, but no one was sure about the limitations of the youngling. However, if his theory on the youngling being heavily influenced by the Autobots was correct... then no doubt that he would be a very stubborn one to crack.

But Autobots can break just as easily as a human mind. If you played your cards right, then it should not be too complicated. They just had to find the right way to do.

Megatron felt the familiar nudge of concern in his spark. He growled softly and looked over at his sparkmate. She gazed up at him with an emotion unlike anything he had seen before. He sighed wearily as she snaked an arm around his waist, nudging at his spark again with that same emotion again. He supposed she did deserve some kind of reward for her hard work in capturing Rodimus. If it weren't for her, then he would not be in their clutches right about now.

Turning to face her, he wrapped his arms around her smaller form, pulling her close and taking her lips into his own, his glossa then sneaked its way into her mouth, tasting her venomous features and exploring what he could touch within. How could he deny that feeling of lust within his spark? The need to have her was strong, stronger than he originally thought. He could do whatever he wanted with her whenever he desired.

He felt her vocal processors vibrate into a purr, encouraging him to keep on going. His spark sang along with his lust, and he knew that it wanted to unite his spark with hers like on the night they first bonded. He sensed her spark wanting to do the same, along with his interface systems. It was almost as strong as his own desire. The ferocity between them became so strong that it was impossible to tell whose spark belonged to and what message was being sent out to via the bond or the lustful tango. Even their bodies were becoming overheated by their deep passion for each other. They were so overheated that the air around them became hotter than normal. Primus, damnit, he wanted to take her right here, right now!

But he had more important things to take of and Megatron willed himself to stop, forcing his lips to remove from hers. He felt his chest rising and falling as he breathed heavily from their passionate moment. By Primus, no one alive could make him want to bond so badly with the femme that stood before him.

"Why did you stop?" Thunderblast asked, pouting slightly that made him laugh deeply.

"I wanted to congratulate you on a successful mission in capturing the youngling," Megatron smirked. "It is not often that the sparkmate of a Decepticon leader would be able to achieve something so daring."

"By your will alone, Megatron," Thunderblast purred gleefully. She leaned into him and rested her head upon his chest. "Everything you wish will be given through me."

Megatron frowned and looked down at her where the sparkling rested. He shook his head and asked, "How are you managing?"

"I'm doing well, and so is the sparkling," Thunderblast smiled, placing a hand upon her extra warm abdomen. "It won't be long now before we'll know what its gender will be."

"I was not worried about the sparkling," he growled, the grip on her shoulders tightening, making her wince in pain, but he pretended not to notice. "I do not care about it. I was more concerned about you because I need you around to command the femmes and keep them in their place."

She sighed, bowing her head, "I'm fine, Megatron. You have nothing to worry about."

Nodding in satisfaction, Megatron released his hold and turned his back on her. What came out of her mouth next surprised him.

"When will be able to interrogate the youngling?"

Megatron glanced over his shoulder, a smirk crossing his lips. "We will do it soon, love," he promised. "However, I have more concerns about that femme who was eyeing Rodimus as he was being taken into the base. Do you know who she is?"

Thunderblast frowned suspiciously. "I believe that was Flamewar," she scowled. "That femme has absolutely no control over her desires whenever she sees a handsome mech or a beautiful femme. She will do just about anything in her power to get what she wants. I had to fight her in order to get your attention to become my sparkmate in the past!"

"Then I suggest that you keep an optic on her," he suggested, coming forward and stroking the side of her faceplates with a sharp claw. "It's just in case she does something irrational."

The dark femme nodded. "I promise, but I can't always keep an optic on her due to my duties and my sparkling that I have to attend to."

Megatron snorted and he leaned forward, kissing her lustfully again. He sent waves upon waves of endless bounds of desire and hunger for her into her spark, letting her know that he wanted her more than ever. He pulled away and told her, "Meet me in my quarters. I have important business to attend with."

She smirked and slowly began making her way back to base. "Don't take too long," she purred.

Megatron reached for her aft and pinched it in between his claws, earning a startled cry from her lips. "I will not be long at all," he promised.

Once she was out of earshot, Megatron turned to Cyclonus, who had been standing extremely patiently a short distance away. He motioned to him to come forward and he obeyed without question. "Tell Scavenger to inject the youngling with the stasis counter," he ordered him. "Once he starts waking up, meet me in the brig so that we may... speak to him personally."

Cyclonus bowed. "Yes, Lord Megatron."

* * *

"...and that's the whole story, Optimus," Springer finished.

During the past few hours since their return to the Autobot base, the teams who had been present during the attack in Mission City had been constantly hounded by the other Autobots, demanding to know what was going on and why Rodimus wasn't with them. Hound and Bluestreak had been ready for this and had issued crowd control in order to keep them back. Mirage and Skyfire had carefully carried the stasis induced Arcee into the medical bay to prepare for an emergency operation. From what Ratchet had said, it had sounded very serious.

Sideswipe and Bumblebee had followed Ratchet, Skyfire, and Mirage to the med bay, escorting them and keeping everyone well away from them. Sideswipe even threatened one mech that if he got too close, then he will slice off his head without hesitation, shocking everyone. Obviously the mysterious disappearance of Rodimus was affecting him a lot more than anyone thought.

While they had been doing this, Prowl, Springer and Ironhide had managed to squeeze past the crowd and make their way to Optimus' quarters, knowing that the former Autobot commander would want an explanation to what was going on. When they had arrived and Optimus had questioned to what was going on, Springer had quietly explained the story to what had happened on the battlefield, leaving none of the details out.

After he had finished, Optimus' expression had gone completely neutral. Prowl and Ironhide gently pushed Springer behind them, creating a barrier in between them in case Optimus decided to get a bit aggressive. But there was no reaction, baffling them.

Finally, after several minutes of silence, Optimus stood up from his couch, his legs shaking from the shocking news that had been given to him. "Where's Arcee?" he questioned simply, his tone also unreadable.

"She's been taken to the med bay for surgery," Prowl answered softly. "But Ratchet hasn't given us an update on her status since our return. From the looks of it, though, it's serious."

Optimus turned his head over to Springer, who had his head bowed and a guilty look in his optics. "Springer, what happened wasn't your fault," he said gently. "Do not blame yourself. You were only doing what Rodimus sent you to do."

Springer just nodded robotically in response.

Once again, Optimus turned to Prowl, and when he spoke again, his tone became commanding. "_Exactly_ how well did Rodimus' training go with you, Prowl? I need you to be honest with me."

Prowl sighed, "While I didn't exactly have a lot of time with Rodimus, we spent fifteen Earth hours week training his spark out for the past four weeks after having his training schedule changed. Originally it had been once a week due to his inexperience with the real thing, and he has been training for five months. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how long he can really last for, and it probably isn't long."

Optimus brushed the bridge of his nasal plate in discomfort and uncertainty, obviously not liking the results. Sighing, he announced, "I will return to commanding duty at once."

Prowl, Ironhide and Springer stumbled in shock. Prowl glared at Optimus furiously. "You can't," he shouted. "Your back injury prevents you from fighting at your full capacity! If you fight Megatron and you suffer a seizure, then you'll be as good as dead!"

Optimus growled and whirled upon the vice commander, hands balling into fists. "We don't have a choice!" he cried. "The Autobots need someone to look up to and to command them until we get Rodimus back. I might not have the Matrix of Leadership in my chest cavity anymore, but without a strong beacon of hope to support them, then everyone will lose faith and the entire planet that we call home will be destroyed! I cannot – _**will not**_ – let that happen to my people!"

Prowl stared defiantly at Optimus, his armour bristling for a moment until he sighed and nodded. "Alright, Optimus..."

Ironhide smiled, but then he frowned. "You obviously have some sort of plan in getting back into the fight, don't you?" he asked, smirking.

Optimus chuckled and winked an optic at his old friend and guardian. "You know me all too well, old friend," he smiled.

"You mind telling us what it is?" the black mech questioned.

"I–"

A com-link suddenly starts bleeping and Optimus, Springer, and Ironhide glanced over to Prowl, each of them lifting an optic ridge at him. Prowl shrugged and answered, "Prowl here, what is it, Bluestreak?"

"_Sorry to bother you, Prowl, but President Barack Obama wishes to speak with you along with Optimus."_

Optimus felt his jaw drop slightly. Why would the President – of all people – call him at this time? It was rare to receive calls from one of the most powerful humans on the face of this planet. Curious, he nodded. "Patch in the call to my computer, Bluestreak," he answered. "We'll take it from here."

"_Of course, Sir,"_ Bluestreak answered. _"I'm transferring the call now."_

Optimus nodded his gratitude, even though Bluestreak couldn't see it, and made his way over to the computer at his desk. Once he sat down and Prowl was standing behind him, he sighed, "Ironhide, Springer, please leave the room and get yourselves attended to. I'm sure Ratchet will want to look you over just in case. And Springer, I'm definitely sure you want to check on Arcee."

"Yes, Sir, I do," Springer said absently.

"Thank you, Optimus," Ironhide smiled, but then frowned. "Weren't you going to tell us about your plan?"

Optimus chuckled slightly. "I'll tell you later," he said. "We may end up needing it when we go to get Rodimus back."

Ironhide nodded his understanding and gently forced Springer to come along with him to the med bay. He locked the door behind them in order to ensure that no one would disturb them during this little meeting.

Satisfied that no one would bother them, Optimus switched on his computer and the aged face of the first African-American President appeared on the computer. "Mr. President," Optimus greeted, bowing his head respectfully. "To what do we owe the pleasure of you calling me at this time of night?"

"_Mr. Optimus,"_ the President smiled, _"I apologise for calling you at this time, but this could not wait because of the urgency of the situation, so I'll get straight to the point. Due to the sensitive matter of this planet after the Space Bridge incident back in Chicago last year, our race has been on edge for a long time and has become wary of our alien visitors. But, thanks to the heroic efforts of one of your Autobots – Rodimus was it? – who selflessly defended the people of Mission City... we wish to offer a lending hand to your people by helping you get back the very one who saved their lives."_

Optimus blinked in surprise, and he could have sworn that he felt Prowl stiffen beside him. He obviously never thought that these strange creatures who can hold a grudge for a long time be changed by one simple act of courage.

He frowned, carefully considering his answer for he knew that one word could offend this powerful man. He lowered his head, his gaze resting upon the computer screen with calm optics. "What changed your people's mind?" he questioned softly.

The President reached from behind his desk and pulled out a newspaper that had a picture of Rodimus on the front cover. On top of the picture were big, bold letters that read: _'Heroic Autobot Saves Mission City Residents.'_

The President proceed to read out loud, _"Thanks to this Autobot's courageous act in saving these people's lives, the human race wish to apologise to the Autobots for believing that they could not protect the Earth that we love so much. Now, we wish to extend a hand in a gesture of friendship and offer them whatever assistance they require to combat against the ones who took the Autobot known as Rodimus Prime who saved these precious lives."_

Optimus nodded, before asking, "How do your people plan in helping us against the Decepticons?"

"_Well,"_ said the President, _"we can start by not just reinstating N.E.S.T. and building up new technologies in order to help fight and anyone else who threatens the peace of the Earth, but to have an ambassador for both the humans and Autobots."_

"Did you have someone in mind?" Prowl asked.

The President nodded. _"Yes, and I believe he will be perfect for this job, considering his relationship with your people that he had in the past."_

Optimus looked over at Prowl as he switched his vocal processor over to Cybertronian so that they could talk in private. _**"What do you think?"**_he clicked to the black and white mech.

"_**It seems like a good idea,"**_warbled Prowl, _**"but we should be careful on how we do this. I've done my research on the human race's history, and it's badly marked with gruesome affairs, ones that make our war look tame."**_

"_**I know,"**_ Optimus replied quietly, _**"but the humans have helped us in the past, and we have made friends with them. If it had not been for Sam Witwicky, we would not have found the Allspark Cube. Would it had not been for General William Lennox and Chief Master Sergeant Robert Epps and their soldiers; we would have lost the fight completely back in Mission City, Egypt, and Chicago. These humans show great potential, Prowl, and I believe they are ready for our technology. We could also use their assistance as well when we decide to go after Rodimus."**_

Prowl nodded. _**"Very well, Optimus. It's your decision after all. We could discuss it more in a meeting with the other officers. See what they have to say."**_

Optimus returned his attention back onto the President, leaning forward in his chair. "We will consider your offer, but I wish to speak with the other officers. Some of them will not be pleased by this, but as a whole, we wish to consider other options before we move forward. You will have our answer in four days time."

The President nodded. "You and your Autobots take all the time you need," he said seriously. _"But our friend Rodimus will definitely not have much time considering how much I know how war works. But I can promise you this: Whatever decision you choose, my people will always be grateful for what Rodimus has done for us, and we will stand ready to help in whatever way possible."_

"Thank you, Mr. President," Optimus smiled politely. "I wish you a good evening, Sir."

"_You too, Mr. Optimus Prime,"_ the President returned. _"Good night."_

Optimus switched off the computer. He sighed tiredly and placed both hands on his faceplates, rubbing his eyes. It had been a long while since he had dealt with politics, but it certainly was wonderful to be back on the saddle. He just hoped that his idea for Wheeljack was enough to make it possible. Shaking his head when he saw the concerned look in Prowl's optics, he glanced over to him and said in a firm voice, "Get all the officers together and we'll them in the Briefing Room. We have an offer to consider."

Prowl's smile grew larger than normal. "At once, Sir," he said and headed out the room, but he stopped in the middle of the doorway, glancing over at Optimus. "And might I say, Sir: It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back, Prowl," Optimus smiled back.

* * *

"Ugh," Rodimus groaned, grabbing his head as he sat up from his unusual recharge. His head ached more than the time he had first woken up in the Autobot base after they had caught him and he had been injected with that knockout drug that Ratchet used on him to keep him quiet. This headache was a lot worse than that, and it made him feel really dizzy.

He had been aware during the entire time, but he didn't know what was going on. As far as he could have told, he knew that he had been carried by the Decepticons into some kind of shuttle and had been lying there for a long time, time that would have taken him to make at least two or three trips to get to Mission City and back.

Blinking his bright blue optics, he glanced around the area, only to find three walls, a ceiling, a floor... and a _very_ familiar forcefield. He growled and stood up on wobbly feet, his thoughts drifting back to when he had been locked up in the brig in order to be contained before he had officially joined with the Autobots. However, there was something different about the forcefield that kept him from escaping. It was red. The Autobot forcefield was blue, and the room had been a lot brighter than this.

... Frag... He was most definitely not in the Autobot base!

The memories of what had occurred before his capture came flooding back to him, memories of him fighting Starscream furiously until the screams of his best friend – Arcee – drew his attention. He remembered seeing her being held down by Slipstream and Vortex while Thunderblast punched the living slag out of her. He even remembered rushing towards them in an attempt to save Arcee, but Thunderblast had shot at a group of helpless humans being escorted by the military, and then standing between them and the ball of plasma, taking the shot and falling to the ground while his armour melted.

He glanced down at his body to confirm this memory and found that he was in his protoform and covered in burns unlike anything he'd seen before.

Then the memory of him weakly telling the humans to run before Thunderblast came toward him and injected him with some kind of brightly glowing fluid in his neck, and he had fallen. The last thing he heard was Arcee screaming his name and then nothing.

Rodimus' body trembled, his armour rattling along with his emotions as he recalled how he heard absolutely nothing after Arcee screamed. Was it possible that she had been killed by the Decepticons during his unconsciousness? No, no it couldn't be true! Springer would be furious if he learned that the femme he cared about so much had been killed. Heck he would probably kill Rodimus if anything happened to her! Rodimus had promised he would take care of her and now... now...

His legs wobbled as realisation dawned upon him.

Arcee was dead... and it was all because he told her to protect the humans at all costs. It was all his fault!

Sitting back on the berth and lying down, he curled up into a ball and allowed the tears to finally fall down his cheeks, pathetic sobs escaping from his vocal processor. He had failed to protect the one femme he cared about, the one who had made things better for him when Sideswipe and Bumblebee weren't around. She was the only one who made him feel as if the world really mattered and life worth fighting for.

"I'm sorry, Arcee," he hiccupped quietly. "Please forgive me for failing to look after you."

His spark throbbed painfully as memories of the time he had spent with her came rushing back into his head. Everything hurt, but his emotions made the pain more bearable. His sobs continued until he lifted his head from his protective ball, hate soon replacing the sorrow as he made a vow.

"I swear upon my spark, Arcee," he snarled, "I will kill those that snuffed out your life essence." His thoughts drifted over to Thunderblast, Slipstream and Vortex, the ones he saw before he blacked out. While he knew that he couldn't take on Thunderblast, he knew very well that he was more than a match for Slipstream and Vortex. "I'll kill them for what they've done..." he snarled.

With the pain pushed aside for now and his vow made, he sat back up and wiped away his tears of grief. It was time to focus on finding a way out of this place. But first, his weapons and armour would have to be online. Even though he recalled what Prowl told him about the Decepticons always taking precautions when it came to dealing with prisoners, he still had to check to be sure. He closed his optics and searched for the switch that would bring them back on. Nothing. He tried searching into the back of his processor, but found nothing there as well.

"Fuck!" he cursed angrily, slamming a fist into the wall behind him, leaving a dent in it.

Then the voice of Prowl echoed through his processor as he recalled the very first thing he was taught on his first day of training: _"Remember to remain calm at all times. Being angry, frustrated, frightened or wallowing in grief will only cloud your judgement. The Decepticons will do everything they can to use your emotions against you and exploit your weaknesses. Do not give them the satisfaction that they're winning, and remember everything I have taught you. You will find a way back to us. Just bide your time and hold on as long as possible. We will come for you, Rodimus. I can promise you that."_

A loud bang startled Rodimus from his thoughts and he heard three pairs of feet coming from down the corridor.

Knowing that he was about to have company, the young mech pushed his body as close as he possibly could into his corner in order to gain some form of advantage. Anything would save him when he least expected it, and he needed to take whatever help he could get.

The appearance of three mechs didn't surprise him, for he recognised Starscream as being one of them. Megatron was the other one in the middle with the malicious grin upon his lips. _Definitely Megatron,_ he thought bitterly. But the one on Megatron's right escaped his processor because he had never seen him nor heard of him before. However, from the looks of this purple and pinkish mech, he looked very dangerous despite his silent appearance.

Rodimus sighed and stared defiantly at the three mechs. Primus, he was going to be in for one hell of time with these guys. He knew that his emotions couldn't save him now nor could his spark as he faced down the very one who had sworn revenge upon him the day he took the life of Harbinger.

* * *

So... is Arcee really dead? What kind of plan does Optimus have? Will the Autobots rescue Rodimus before it's too late? So many questions, so little time. Must wait until the next chapter, everyone! Hehehe. Until then, see ya!


	11. Not A Day Has Gone By

Alright, here is what you have all been waiting for! An absolutely dark chapter involving torture and all that means to be seen in the act of war. Mwahaha! It is time for some fun and games with Roddy. Hope you enjoy!

**Warning:** Chapter contains dark themes such as swearing, torture, physical beating, drugs, and attempted rape.

* * *

**Day 1**

Rodimus scowled as he glared dangerously at Megatron, Starscream and the newcomer he had never seen before. His vocal processor vibrates with his deep growl that had lowered even further and had got louder the more those mechs stared at him. He kept his back pressed tightly against the wall in attempt to get whatever protection it could provide for him. But he knew that deep down in his spark, he would never be safe for as long as he remained in this cell and in Decepticon hands.

Megatron smirked in amusement at the show the young Autobot was putting on. "I have always wanted to see what you would be like when you're defenceless. You are not so brave when you are without your guardians to protect you or without your armour and your weapons to assist you in battle."

Rodimus bared his dental plates to show his foul mood. "Let me out and I'll show you just how _**brave **_I can _**really**_ be," he snorted, spitting at the floor in front of Megatron's pedes. He would be defiant until the very end if he had to. He would show Megatron just how stubborn he truly was when Bumblebee and Sideswipe weren't around to look after him.

Megatron threw back his head and laughed darkly. "My, my, what spirit you have, youngling. Truly you are indeed worthy of being Optimus' successor."

"Skip the pleasantries, asshole," Rodimus grumbled with hate in his tone. "You obviously didn't come here to make conversation. Got anything special planned for me?" The question had a massive tint of sarcasm that even Megatron seemed to notice it. However, Rodimus had a terrible feeling deep in the pit of his gut that he knew why these three were here before him now. If he had his doorwings right now, they would be trembling along with his emotions.

With lips curling up into a sinister smirk, Megatron motioned to Starscream and Cyclonus. They obeyed without question, drawing closer to Megatron's side but standing in a corner, preventing Rodimus from making an escape if he chose to make a run for it.

Megatron asked Rodimus, "Have you been prepared for the 'questioning' method we Decepticons use?"

Rodimus gave a stoic expression and said nothing in response, choosing to remain silent. He would rather die than give away the kind of training Prowl had given him. But he suspected that the Decepticons were fully aware of who trained fresh Autobot soldiers.

When it seemed that Megatron wasn't going to get his answer, he motioned to the unnamed Decepticon. "Cyclonus, lower the forcefield."

Rodimus bristled slightly and pushed himself even further into his protective corner, even if it wouldn't really protect him from the incoming Decepticon leader.

Cyclonus nodded and pressed a button on the wall and the forcefield blinks away, leaving a perfect gap in between Rodimus and Megatron. Megatron ever so calmly approached the young mech and then yanks an arm forward, snatching him up with his sharp claws and lifting him high off the ground. Rodimus felt his neck slowly compress as Megatron's grip tightened, making it difficult to breathe. He even started choking, but he didn't struggle, knowing full well that was what Megatron wanted. He will not give him the satisfaction of showing fear, even though his spark was screaming inside his chest to at least make an attempt to fight back. He knew that it was fruitless to escape the grasp of the powerful Decepticon leader. No, he would rather conserve his energy for the 'interrogation' rather than fight.

Megatron brings him close to his face. Rodimus flinched as he is forced to stare into the evil, bright red optics of his nemesis. A deep growl vibrates in Megatron's throat and his lips pull back into a fierce snarl, showing his sharp dental plates. Gusts of air rush out into small puffs, scattering as they touch Rodimus' face.

"You will pay dearly, youngling," Megatron hissed dangerously, "for what you did to Harbinger. I am going to make you suffer so much that even your sparklings will suffer when they are born."

Rodimus still didn't respond. Instead, he quietly gasped as the choking hold on his neck tightened a bit more.

"Once I am done breaking you," Megatron continued as he pulled back his spare arm, the servo extending its claws, "I will then rip the Matrix of Leadership from your spark chamber, crush it beneath my foot, and destroy whatever hope the Autobots have left in their old leader – Optimus."

Without warning, Megatron threw his servo forward and burrowed Rodimus straight into his abdomen. Rodimus' entire body screamed in agony, but he quickly bit his lip to prevent anything from forming. However, a whimper barely managed to escape his vocal processor. Seconds later, his body started to convulse and his optics rolled into his head. A minute passed before the convulsing stopped and every single limb in his body became numb and unresponsive, but his optics remained online.

Megatron smirked in satisfaction. "Do you like it?" he chuckled cruelly. "Soundwave installed it into my claws. He likes to call it Cyulinum Toxin. It paralyses the limbs for a certain amount of time, but the victim remains alert and aware, and if given enough of a dose, it can kill in just a matter of seconds. Be thankful that I didn't give you a more powerful dose."

He released his hold on Rodimus' throat and he collapsed flat on his chassis. All Rodimus could see was the floor of his cell and the feet of Megatron. Everything is all a blur and out of focus, but it was nothing compared to the pain he was feeling in every part of his body. Megatron steps out of his line of vision and he felt himself being lifted up off the ground, though his ankles were still touching, just dangling uselessly in their sockets. He assumed he had been picked up by Cyclonus and Starscream and he knew instantly that he was being taken to the 'interrogation' room.

His head drooped to his chest as he was dragged lifelessly through the corridors. His vision danced in different directions, almost as though he was in some sort of trance or as if he was drunk on high grade. Black surrounded the outside parts of his HUD, but he could just barely make out the floor, making it impossible to glance at his surroundings and plan an escape route. Megatron must've figured that he would try and escape if he could, but with the Cyulinum Toxin pulsing through his veins, he was as helpless as a newborn sparkling in body, but his processor was still alert and ready to fight back mentally when they prepared him for the 'interrogation'.

He didn't know how long he had been staring at the floor for as he was taken to the room where they would begin the 'questioning', but he assumed it wasn't much longer. But as they continued down the corridors and turning a few corners, his audio receptors picked up the sounds of laughter. Despite being partially conscious, he still emitted a violent growl that earned him a quick backhand from one of his holders, shutting him up completely.

Something sharp embedded its way into his vulnerable protoform and a feminine humming noise came from the sidelines. He could've sworn that he heard Starscream snap at whoever did it, telling them to keep their claws to themselves. Said femme seemed to have commented on how handsome he was and that he would make a fine sparkmate for any femme. The comment sent a shiver rolling down his spinal column and he is poked again, followed by eruptions of laughter. Megatron made a snarling noise and barks at someone to remove the femme and to ensure that she never comes near Rodimus.

Rodimus barely makes out the femme kicking and snarling in protest as she is taken away by someone. However, he could've have sworn she said something about 'soon'. Whatever that meant, he knew that he had to be alert at all times. But as long as he had the Cyulinum Toxin coursing through his veins, he was defenceless.

He was shaken from out of his thoughts when he felt his entire chassis being tossed onto something flat, hard, and cold as ice. Every sensor in his body was numb, and even though his limbs felt impossible to move, he attempted to lift one of his limbs and rip off the restraints that were used to hold down his head, chest, wrist, and ankles. His head and neck were the only parts of his body that responded as a last-ditch-effort, digging in his dental plates into the metal skin of whoever had secured his restraints.

His audio receptors picked up the satisfying, pained squeal of Starscream, before a powerful blow lashed out at him and his head across the right side. Enormous amounts of pain erupts across the area in his left cheek, energon working its way into his mouth as it dripped onto the corners of his lip. He craned his head back ever so slightly, looking into the face of Starscream before he spat some of the excess energon from his inflicted wound, onto the mech's face.

There was another backhand to his right cheek this time, Rodimus biting his lip with a whimper to prevent a cry of pain escaping his vocal processor. His right optic had gone dark from the pain of the second blow to that side. He felt clawed fingers grab him by the cheeks and forcibly pull his face in a forward position to look into the bright red optics of Starscream, dripped with lubricant.

"You will pay for your insubordination, youngling!" he hissed. He raised an arm that was clenched into a fist in preparation for another attack. Rodimus closed his left optic, waiting for the blow to fall.

But it never falls.

Rodimus slowly opened his good optic and saw with surprise that Starscream had been stopped mid-strike by another clawed hand. Starscream was looking at the one who stopped him and Rodimus turned his head to see Soundwave. Rodimus recognised the Decepticon communications officer after Prowl showed him a picture of him and described him as the one who had invented the Soundwave Box that was used in his training.

"What do you think you are doing?" Starscream snarled to the slightly smaller mech. "He deserves to be punished for his defiance."

Soundwave's ruby red optics stared emotionlessly at the Decepticon vice commander, saying nothing for a moment. He turned his head towards Rodimus, who stared back with confusion written all over his facial features. "I," rumbled Soundwave in his deep monotone voice that reminded Rodimus of the Cave of Wonders from _Aladdin_, "do not want him injured before the 'interrogation'. I want him at his absolute best. You know that I love a good challenge."

Starscream stared at Soundwave for a moment before he wrestled his arm free of the grasp. "Tch, fine," he snorted. "Cyclonus and I will leave you and Megatron to do as you wish."

Megatron's rumbling laughter echoed from out of Rodimus' line of sight. "By all means do so, Starscream. But once you leave, have Astrotrain and Sky Shadow stand guard outside the room. We wouldn't want our 'guest' to make an escape if he recovers from the toxin I put in his systems."

There was a slight pounding of metal on metal as Rodimus guessed that Starscream and Cyclonus had left, leaving him alone with both Soundwave and Megatron. Terror gripped the young mech's processor as he heard the two talking in their native language. He once again cursed himself for not being able to study Cybertronian and he wished that he could make out what they were saying. Instead, he closed his good optic and attempted to take a deep, calming breath, finally willing his racing spark to pulse in a slow rhythm like Prowl had taught him when under a heap of stress.

'Come on, Rodimus,' his inner self spoke, 'focus!'

Once everything had stilled and his spark was no longer under pressure from his frightened thoughts, he felt the flat table he was on being lifted upright until he was staring at a smirking Megatron and a staring Soundwave. In Soundwave's claws was the familiar black box that Prowl had trained him with. Only instead of the Autobot symbol being on its top, it had the Decepticon symbol replacing it.

Soundwave approached Rodimus and applied the sensory nodes on the sides of his cranium behind his antenna, and on his chest plates. The tickling sensation buzzed through his body as the box was switched on, despite everything being numb and unresponsive in his limbs.

The silver Decepticon stepped back, once again staring into Rodimus' optics. "Are you afraid, youngling?" he asked softly.

Rodimus once again remained silent.

Soundwave shook his head. "It wouldn't matter whether you're afraid or not. We'll find out once we conduct the 'interrogation'."

He flipped the switch to a low level and Rodimus found himself completely off guard as a stabbing sensation is applied to his processor. It felt like a thousand hot blades were piercing every inch of his cranium and his whole world went white.

_Rodimus found himself standing back in Mission City, fighting against Starscream, all the while explosions were everywhere. He could hear humans crying in fear, many of them running for their lives in an attempt to escape the clashing titans and the raining missiles._

_He heard a familiar scream and he instinctively turned his head to see Arcee being held by the arms by Slipstream and Vortex. She was on her knees and was being punched furiously in the face by Thunderblast._

"_Arcee!" he screamed._

_He managed to wriggle himself free from Starscream's grasp and tried to run towards her, calling Arcee's name over and over again. But a pair of arms wrapped around his waist and a massive weight brings him down to the ground._

"_You're not going anywhere!" Starscream hissed with glee._

"Get out of my head!" Rodimus gasped as he shook his head, forcing himself out of the memory just as quickly as it came. He lifted his head and his lips pulled back into a snarl, baring his teeth like a vicious animal.

A grin barely made its way to the corners of Soundwave's lips. "Impressive," he mused. "I should congratulate you on getting out of the memory quickly. You may not be the son of Optimus, but you're putting up a fight similar to his. He was quick to push the memories away and he lasted a long time before he was rescued. I am curious though: will you last just as long as he did?"

"Go to hell you bastard," Rodimus growled, spitting more energon at Soundwave's feet. He refused to show that the physical and mental pain had hurt him more than they thought. He will not break!

Soundwave made a simple gesture with his shoulders that Rodimus assumed was a shrug. He switched the device to the next level and the young mech once again found himself crying out as the pain intensified.

_Rodimus wriggled as hard as he could in order to escape the grasp of Starscream and get to Arcee, but he didn't budge. Growling, Rodimus brought out his right blade and stabbed it directly into Starscream's shoulder, digging it in deeply and twisting it violently. Starscream let out a howl of pain and released his hold. _

_Once the grip had loosened, Rodimus sheathed his blade and gathered his legs beneath him, pushing himself forward and running back towards Arcee. White, hot fury poured through his spark chamber and into his veins, giving him the strength that he needed to keep on going._

_And then Thunderblast raised her blaster..._

"**No**!" Rodimus screamed. It was the only way for him to get out of the memory. He didn't want to recall what happened next. He didn't! While he knew it was a false memory, but his processor told him it felt as real as daylight.

Soundwave seemed to be making a choking noise, almost as though he was laughing. He turned up the level once more.

_The blaster pointed directly at the unconscious Arcee, a mad gleam in Thunderblast's optics. She snuck a glance at the still running Rodimus from the corner of her vision, dental plates flashing in a cold smirk._

_She pulled the trigger._

_Rodimus' whole world went into slow motion as he watched the blast of radiation go right through Arcee's chest where her spark chamber rested. Arcee's pained cries – despite being unconscious – pierced through his audio receptors and she collapsed in huddled heap, her body slowly melting in a pool of energon and molten slag._

"**That didn't happen**!" Rodimus howled as his arms finally regained their full movement and he tugged powerfully at his restraints. The pain ebbed away somewhat, but his processor still ached from the throbbing memories. "**Arcee isn't dead, you fucking bastard**!"

Soundwave just gave a casual stare, his face plates showing no hint of emotion, but a hint of a smirk crossed his lips. "From what Starscream has reported to Megatron and I, Arcee had died along with the humans. You failed in your attempt to protect her and the humans from us."

"**I don't believe you**!" Rodimus snarled, fighting back tears as the revelation slowly sunk in.

Soundwave put the device down on a table alongside several other instruments and he flipped another switch from behind. Rodimus felt the table lie backwards until he was staring up at the ceiling. Megatron's chuckle vibrated from nowhere as he and Soundwave left the room, leaving Rodimus alone as he struggled not to cry.

**An Hour and a Half Later**

Rodimus was still lying in the exact same position as before when Soundwave and Megatron had left him, recovering from the still throbbing sensation in his processor. During the whole time, he had managed to regain all movement in his limbs and body by testing them out against the restraints, although he was still numb from the toxin and he doubt it would go away for a little while longer.

He had also tried to recharge, but he had been kept awake by Slipstream (one of his guards he assumed), who gave him numerous slaps to the face. He never tried to bite her nor her companion he assumed was Astrotrain since he knew that it would only provoke them into slapping him even harder.

It was during his fifth time at trying to recharge and Slipstream slapping him again that Soundwave and Megatron returned to the room, forcing them to back off and give the report.

Once again, Rodimus' table was lifted upright and they picked up from where they left off.

Rodimus lost track of time as the session continued for a long period of time. He was beyond exhausted now and his energon reserves dangerously low. Reality and memory blurred into one and Rodimus could no longer distinguish from what was real and what was in his head. The same memory that had played earlier kept repeating itself over and over again, each one ending differently.

Although he knew that they Soundwave Box created false memories, they still felt real. Sometimes Arcee would be barely alive and die in his arms, other times she was in pieces. But every time, she'd be dead one way or another.

While he had sworn revenge upon the one who killed her in reality, he was beginning to feel a lingering touch of doubt on whether or not she was truly dead.

After the thirty-fourth memory faded away into nothing and Rodimus merely beyond exhausted, Megatron came to his side, the same usual smirk on his sharp features. "Your courage and strength are indeed worth praising, just like Optimus' always was. But unlike Optimus', yours will definitely falter."

Rodimus stared tiredly into Megatron's optics, a smirk of triumph forming on his lips. "You haven't beaten me yet. I'll do whatever it takes to remain unbroken until my friends find me."

Megatron chuckled in amusement. "You're different I'll certainly give you that. You, however, don't have every ounce of training in your energon. You're an earthsparked Cybertronian and that is all you'll ever be."

The young mech continued to stare into Megatron's optics and he once again spat energon, but he hardly had the strength to shoot it into his nemesis' face. The energon landed at his feet and he lost consciousness.

**Day 2**

Rodimus' good optic was the only thing that responded as he came back online from the darkness. He once again found himself back in his cell; the all too familiar walls and the berth he was lying on indicated it as such. He looked at what remained of his HUD after he had set it to tell him how long he had been here. He discovered on his internal chronometer that he had been in this state for at least nine and a half hours and that it had been over a day since he had been captured. From what he was able to tell, it had been nineteen and a half hours since the 'interrogating' had begun. However he didn't feel fully rested no thanks to the physical and mental beating he had received.

"Primus, that hurt," he sighed, squeezing his good optic shut for a moment as his body throbbed from the after effects of the toxin in his systems. His wrists and ankles ached from the restraints, and every miniscule movement hurt more than he could bear. He opened his good optic and attempted to stretch his pained muscle cables to get some feeling back into his sensors.

Something cold and light snaked down his exposed protoform and a gasp barely manages to escape his vocal processor. "What the...?" he exclaimed, but his mouth was covered by the same hand that had stroked his chassis. He turned his head slightly and his systems almost glitches in shock.

A petite black and red flamed femme was sitting on top of him, leering down upon him with a lustful look in her optics that spelled instant trouble for him.

Rodimus blinked in surprise as realisation dawns upon him what was happening at the worst possible moment: he was about to be raped while his energy reserves were at their lowest.

The femme slowly puts all her weight upon his body, leaning forward slightly as her breath tickled his audio receptors. "It is best to be quiet, youngling," she told him, licking her lips with her glossa, "it will be all over soon."

He trembled harshly as her hand slid over his body until it hovered over his groin where his interface panel rested; untouched and unused.

"You are so handsome," the femme purred hungrily. "I will gladly enjoy feeling your spike in between my legs."

Rodimus wasn't sure whether it was Prowl's training or the desire to not to be raped that gave him a sudden boost of power to his systems, but whatever happened, he was scared out of his processor and reacted accordingly. He struggled violently. He kicked, punched, and bit in every possible method he could. His legs thrashed wildly in an attempt to get the femme off him.

Sometimes he wrenched his arms free from the steel grasp of the femme, but many times she managed to pin them back down on the berth. She eventually immobilised his flailing legs with her knees.

Rodimus screamed loudly only to receive a solid punch to the face from her. "Shut up!" she snarled angrily. He only snarled in response as he sensed his energy reserves drop lower than ever. He couldn't afford to be attacked like this as the stories Prowl had told him in the past flashed before his optics. He threw his head backwards and threw it forward, connecting it with her face.

Energon spills onto Rodimus' chest as the femme bleeds from a broken nasal plate, her howl of pain echoing through his audio receptors and she clutches at her tender spot.

It was during that crucial moment that he saw the forcefield down. He wriggled free from her loosened hold and made a run towards the exit.

Only for the femme to grab one of his ankles and he toppled to the floor, smacking his face on the solid steel. He felt his metal skin burn as he was dragged back into the cell and she tosses him back onto the berth, making him land on his back with a clang. She puts as much weight on him as she can, preventing him from getting some kind of leverage. She leans forward and licked his neck, earning a shudder from his body. His energy levels were far too low from making his escape, but he tries again in fighting back, this time he latches his dental plates on her hand, still showing that there was still some defiance left in him.

"You little fragger," she snarled angrily, pulling her hand back sharply and she once again punched him in the face, damaging his injured optic further.

Rodimus could only cry out in agony, his body stilling as his last bits of energy depletes into nothing and his head lolled to one side. He heard her insane giggle as she appeared in his line of sight. "I told you I was going to enjoy you," she smirked.

He shivered as her hand stroked his interface panel and he felt it unwillingly activate, becoming exposed to his attacker. She crawled over him and prepared to spread her legs apart.

Suddenly a massive arm grabbed her by the neck armour and she was violently wrenched off him. Rodimus weakly lifted his head, watching in shock as she was tossed aside like as if she weighed like nothing.

She landed with a heavy bang on the floor outside the cell and she spits something inaudible at her attacker. Rodimus could barely make out a medium built navy blue and black mech with a red visor standing over her and then punching the living daylights out of her.

Finally, the mech pulls away from the dented and bruised femme and then turns to a blue and silver mech. "Breakdown, remove Flamewar from the brig," he ordered harshly. "I don't care what you do; just make sure that she learns a very harsh lesson of why you shouldn't touch certain prisoners."

The mech he identified as Breakdown nodded in response and picked up Flamewar by the neck collar and dragged her out of sight. Seconds later, the sound of metal hitting metal and Flamewar's cries of pain fills the air.

Despite his hazy vision, Rodimus makes out the black and navy blue mech coming towards him. He bent down beside the young mech and looked him over. When he saw the energon on his chest, he took out a towel and carefully wiped it off. He leaned closer to Rodimus' audio receptors and whispered, "Don't worry, I'm a friend."

Rodimus blinked in surprise as the mech glanced around as though he was checking to make sure no one was around. He reached into his subspace pocket and pulled out what appeared to be a small energon cube. He sat down alongside Rodimus and sits him up carefully, putting the cube to his lips.

"Drink," he ordered gently.

Rodimus soon realised just how hungry he was after having been a prisoner for a while and having fought back in Mission City. It was a bad combination to his health, but he somehow hesitated as the mech continued to press him to drink. Knowing that he didn't have of a choice, he nervously gulped down the cool liquid, but his good optic never removed itself from the stranger that saved his life.

After he had finished, he croaked tiredly, "Who are you?"

The mech just shook his head. "My name's not important right now," he replied. "But I need you to trust me right now because I'm the only one who can help you. I promise that I'll do whatever I can to make things a little bit easier while you're imprisoned here."

Before Rodimus could answer, approaching feet drew the mech's attention and he quickly released his hold, forcing the young mech to lie back down on the berth. The black and navy blue mech quickly leaves the cell just as the newcomer reached him.

"What happened in here?" Megatron's cold, harsh voice demanded. "Breakdown told me you and he caught Flamewar attempting to rape the youngling. Is this true?"

The mech nodded. "Yes, my Lord," he answered. "She tried to attack him while he was low on energy."

Megatron snorted. "Is he up for the next round of Soundwave's questioning?" he asked.

"No, my Lord, his energy reserves are too low and Flamewar damaged him in several areas. I don't think it would be wise to begin the questioning while he is in this condition."

A deep growl vibrated through the air from Megatron's vocal processor. "That's not good enough! I want you to repair him or else there will be consequences!" He turned and stormed out, leaving the mech to sneak a glance over at Rodimus, giving him a concerned look and he brings the forcefield back online. He then gives chase after Megatron, attempting to reason with him on what would happen if they went through with this. Megatron counters with a sharp response until they are out of Rodimus' hearing range.

Whimpering, Rodimus faced the wall and curled up into what he believed was a comforting ball. "Primus, God, if you exist," he whispered to himself, "please help me..."

Darkness once again overtook his vision and he reluctantly welcomed the cold void.

**Ten And a Half Hours Later**

Rodimus' good optic flickered online and he found himself staring up at the familiar ceiling of the 'interrogation' room, strapped to the table. He could barely make out the supposed clicking noise of someone tinkering with his systems. He turned his head slightly to the left and found himself looking into the red visor of the black and navy blue mech. The mech paused in his work to blink the right side of his visor – which Rodimus identified as a wink – and placed the tool he had been using back on the table out of the line of sight.

There was a hissing noise as the mech quickly pulled away just as Starscream and Soundwave walked in. "Starscream," the mech spoke up in a quiet tone, "what are you doing here?"

"I am here to supervise the 'interrogation' today no thanks to Megatron being too busy with more important matters," Starscream huffed impatiently. "Are the repairs finished or not?"

The mech sighed, "They are, but we will have to reduce the time of the questioning. The youngling's energy reserves are still too low no thanks to that glitch of a femme who tried to... attack him."

Starscream grabbed the mech by the neck, his clawed digits dug deep into his skin. "I don't care about the youngling's wellbeing," he snarled. "We will continue as planned whether he is fully charged or not. He will break or else I will hold you responsible for any failure."

The mech nodded solemnly, unafraid that he was having the life choked out him. Starscream then released his hold on him, watching as he made his way over to the sidelines with an emotionless look in his optics. However, Rodimus could make out the smallest hint of concern by the faint twitch in his visor.

Starscream returned to Rodimus' side with a needle with a strangely glowing liquid clenched tightly in his claws and a malicious grin tugging away at the corners of his lips. He lifts up the familiar panel on Rodimus' neck, once again exposing the main energon line, and injected the liquid that earned a satisfying whimper of discomfort. The young mech felt the stinging sensation of the prick before Starscream closed the panel and stepped back with a bemused look in his optics.

Rodimus wasn't sure what he had been injected with, but he soon found out when he found himself becoming dead weight in his limbs, but his neural circuits had heightened to a whole new level where even the simplest of touches was painful.

The vice commander of the Decepticons chuckled darkly as he witnessed the sudden drop in Rodimus' functioning. "I have injected you with something similar to the Cyulinum Toxin that Megatron carries in his digits, but it's a minor version where the limbs become non-functioning and you would feel _**everything**_ that will be inflicted upon you during the interrogation."

He leaned forward until he was directly in Rodimus' personal space, staring into his optics with hate. "You will break just like any prisoner always has done in the past," he snorted. "Of course, there have been some who have managed to resist until their brethren came to their rescue. But your training is very poor, I can tell from the way how you manage these things. Your training had barely even begun before we captured you."

He shook his head in disappointment.

"There is no way that Optimus would rescue you after thanks to his back injury. I saw it myself when Harbinger shook him until his energon spilled onto the snow and stained it blue. Without Optimus, the Autobots are powerless and they have no idea _**where**_ you are. Not even your pathetic training can save you from what we have in mind."

Rodimus growled as he responded, his voice filled with venom, "Congratulations, I'm not feeling compassion like Optimus always does anymore. Once I'm free of these bonds, you will one of the first to taste my blade as I shove it right into your mouth, twist it, pull your head off your neck and hang it on my wall. I'll even go after Thunderblast, Vortex and Slipstream for what they did to Arcee. I _**promise**_ you that."

Starscream just stared, his facial expression eventually going from shock to amuse in seconds. "I have heard those threats before, youngling, but they are as empty as your processor." He pulled away and made his way to stand beside the black and navy blue mech. "Conduct the interrogation, Soundwave."

Soundwave approached Rodimus and once again applied the sensory nodes onto his head and chest. He stood back a bit and switched the device to the medium level. Rodimus emitted a hiss as pain erupted in his processor and all over his body, the memory flashing before his optics.

_He found himself in an all too familiar bright alleyway. Even though he had been blind during this event, Rodimus could see for the first time. He saw a young woman, her worn clothes were slightly torn and had holes in it. She was covered in dirt smudges on her petite angular face. Her soft blue eyes darted left and right as she drew nearer to his form._

_Rodimus realised that he was looking at the face of his beloved Tracy Bloomwood._

"_Roddy, what's wrong?" she asked him, her voice nervous and her eyes darting left and right._

_His sensors suddenly screamed at him, telling him about the hostile organic that he identified as a male human moments as he appeared from behind Tracy and grabbed her around the neck with one arm and a knife in the other hand pointed directly at her exposed windpipe._

"_Don't move, girlie," he grins lustfully._

"_Roddy, help me!" Tracy whimpered._

Rodimus' body started to convulse as the pain in his processor and body intensified. He knew what memory was being played and he knew how it was going to end, but he refused to give Starscream the satisfaction that the pain was a lot worse than it looked.

The memory came back, stronger and more painful than ever.

_Rodimus just sat there, his wheels being held down by some unknown force that pressed down on him like a heavy blanket. He felt the strong feeling of needing to help her, to transform into his bipedal form. But his systems were unresponsive._

"_Hot Rod, help me!" she screamed, unable to fight back thanks to the knife being pressed against her throat._

_Rodimus could only watch in horror followed by a feeling of helplessness as she was dragged away behind the bin against her will, her cries of panic echoing through his audio receptors. He could only listen and close his optics, wishing he knew how to turn off the sound just so that he didn't have to hear anything._

_He heard the man do unthinkable things to her, her screams going unheard to the public until his acute hearing picked up the sound of the knife cutting through flesh that silenced her completely..._

_...a trail of blood snaked its way from underneath the bin and into a drain nearby._

_He screamed out her name._

"**YOU BASTARD**!" Rodimus suddenly yelled, forcing the memory to fade away and the pain to stop. Starscream, who had been leaning over him to gloat over his convulsing state, jumped back in surprise. In his rage, Rodimus felt renewed strength flowing through his right arm and he pulled it as hard as he could, breaking the restraint that was holding it down and his servo grabbed Starscream's throat.

From the corner of his good optic, Rodimus made out the black and navy blue mech gaping in awe while Soundwave was just as surprised as he was; his optics were wide and his jaw had dropped slightly.

Starscream flailed his arms in fright as he choked, "Let me go you fragger!" He tried to pry off the vice-like grip that was cutting off his oxygen tanks, but he could not thanks to the newfound strength in the young mech.

Suddenly, Rodimus felt a massive jolt of electricity course through his body, followed by the heightened pain as his processor overloaded, forcing him to release his hold on Starscream. As his good optic struggled to reboot itself, he made out the chassis of Vortex grabbing hold of his free arm and putting it back in the strap, tightening it until it could no longer move at all. He even made out Slipstream holding an energon prod in her clawed digits.

Angrily, Rodimus bit Vortex on the forearm. Whether it hurt him or not, Rodimus didn't know, but he received several slaps from him in response, pain once again flowing through his neural circuits until Vortex pulled away in disgust. Despite the pain in his cheek, Rodimus managed to give a tiny growl that went completely unnoticed.

Starscream picked himself off the ground, rubbing his throat to get the oxygen flowing again. The mysterious mech approached his side, his visor squinting somewhat as he spoke quietly, "Might I suggest that we stop for a while, sir? The youngling is proving to be far more challenging than expected."

Soundwave nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it would seem that his loved ones give him the strength that he needs to fight back." He motioned to the restraint that Rodimus had just broken. "It would be wise that we not use those he cares about, but rather attack _**him**_ instead."

"And then what?" Starscream snapped, whirling upon the two, fury flashing in his ruby optics. "He would only just resist that! One way or another, the youngling will break today or else Megatron will seize the glory himself." He scowled. "No, we will keep on using his loved ones until he breaks!"

The unnamed mech just shrugged and turned his attention to Soundwave. "How are his energy reserves holding?"

It took a moment before Soundwave responded casually, "Holding steady, but it would be wise to stop for a bit." He shot a cold glare at Starscream. "We will discuss about this as soon as we leave. We need other methods."

Starscream snorted with disgust. "Whatever, let's just go already and get this over with, I could use a cube of energon just to restore my reserves."

"I'll stay and keep an optic on the prisoner," suggested the black and navy blue mech, taking the energon prod from Slipstream. "Slipstream and Vortex, you will stand guard outside. I'll take care of youngling in case he does anything stupid."

Grunting, the four left without another word, leaving Rodimus and the mech alone.

Once they were gone, Rodimus checked his internal chronometer and realised that only six hours had passed since this interrogation had begun. He sighed wearily as he sunk into a depressive state and found himself thinking about his home. He missed his friends so much that he didn't notice a tear rolling down his cheek. He hadn't thought about the other Autobots in a little while since he had got here and wondered if they were really looking for him.

His glum mood didn't go unnoticed by the mech and he pressed a button on the wall, causing the table to fall back into its flat position. Rodimus watched curiously as the mech then loosened the restraints on his wrists and ankles enough to lessen the pain for his hypersensitive skin thanks to the drug Starscream had injected him with.

"Thanks," he whispered as the mech came over to his side and pulled out another small energon cube, offering it to his lips. He drank gratefully, taking deep gulps and savouring the sweet taste.

"I always keep my word," the mech smiled, "because I promised I would look after you as best as I can while you're a Decepticon prisoner."

Rodimus nodded as he finished the last of the beautiful liquid. Never had he tasted anything quite so good and he wished for more.

Seeing his hunger, the mech suspired and gently stroked his helm, earning a content purr in response. "It's best that you don't drink another one after that drug was injected into your systems. I'm not exactly sure what would happen if I gave you another and I don't want to test it."

He switched his visor offline for a moment, almost as though he was flashing back to someplace. Whatever it was, Rodimus didn't think it was a good idea and he prodded at the mech's side. The mech shook his head and looked Rodimus dead in the optics.

"While I can't guarantee your safety, I will do my best to lessen the agony of the sessions." He paused for a moment before he asked, "Have you been trained by Prowl by any chance to withstand the torture?"

Seeing no harm in telling, Rodimus nodded. "Yes."

"I'm impressed," the mech chuckled, giving him a kind pat on the shoulder and his gaze became soft and sullen. "Be strong, young one, it won't be much longer before things will get better."

Rodimus' expression became puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

The mech just shook his head, refusing to say more as he returned the cube to his subspace pocket and leaned against the wall, watching him with emotionless optics.

**Two Hours Later**

Rodimus was jerked awake from his attempt to recharge by a sudden shake in his shoulder. He found himself looking into the concerned visor of the mech who had been watching over him while he rested. He had been acting as a guard to ensure that he got enough rest in time for the return of Starscream and Soundwave.

"Wake up," the mech hissed worriedly. "They're coming back."

Groaning but not feeling very well rested, Rodimus nodded as the mech sent him an apology and tightened up his restraints. It had felt good to have them loosened for a while, to be able not feel his very sensitive protoform skin after Starscream's injection. Now as the mech put them back on, Rodimus couldn't help but let off a pained gasp as they touched his wrists and ankles.

Once again, the mech apologised as moved back just as Starscream and Soundwave returned to continue their work.

Despite the kindness from the mech during the breaks and given a cube of energon from his secret stash, Rodimus just knew that these new methods that Soundwave had mentioned earlier would be a lot worse than what he was currently experiencing: the same memories of either Arcee or Tracy dying, and each one each time only made the beast inside the young mech angrier and more violent than ever.

Rodimus could only hope and pray that whatever plan the stranger had would work when the moment was right.

**Day 3**

The young mech emitted an agonized groan as he was awakened from his five hour long recharge by Slipstream and Vortex as they take him back to the 'interrogation' room for his third session. As he was dragged by the two, he never realised just how much every breath he took hurt. His second one had lasted for ten hours after the first six with only a few breaks in between. He was beyond exhausted both physically and mentally.

His chassis ached from the physical abuse he had received from Starscream's and Vortex's aggressive behaviours. His processor even throbbed from not just the false memories he had been forced to witness, but from the feelings he had felt when he had continued to witness the deaths of Arcee and Tracy over and over again. The feelings of helplessness, fury, guilt, and uncertainty lingered in the back of his cranium, making him doubt on whether he could truly trust the mech who had offered to help him out as best as possible. The pain was not unlike anything he had felt before and he knew that there was more to come.

While the kind mech had given him a few cubes of energon filled with a special drug that boosted his repair systems into repairing what damage they possibly could from his last round. While it had done little to heal his mental exhaustion, it had helped ease some of the aches and pains in his body and it even made his limbs move again after counteracting against Starscream's unnamed drug.

As they continued down the corridors toward their destination, he checked his internal chronometer and sighed in mental frustration that he had been a captive for only sixty-three hours. A part of him felt a slight touch of hopelessness and the will to give up just so that he could make the pain stop. But the kind mech had told him to be strong and wait a little while longer. But the question was: wait for what? Rodimus had no idea, but he had no other choice. Hope was all he could cling onto in these dark times.

He was shaken from his thoughts as he found himself staring up at the ceiling and Slipstream and Vortex unkindly strapped him down, this time the restraints tighter than ever. Rodimus knew that they thought he still had Starscream's drug in his system and he pretended to whimper.

He didn't have long to wait as Megatron, Soundwave, the unnamed mech and newcomer Thunderblast. His optics locked onto Thunderblast's and she stared back with a coldness that made him recoil slightly, but he refused to show his fear. He was not afraid of the very femme who he believed had killed Arcee.

He leaned forward slightly and made a rude noise, earning a growl of retaliation from her, but she seemed to hesitate as Megatron came up beside her, putting an arm around her waist. She shuddered as his lips formed words in her audio receptors. She seemed to nod in response and stepped back.

"How has the interrogation proceeded?" Megatron asked with a growl. "Has the youngling come close to breaking?"

Soundwave shook his head, answering, "No, my Lord, he hasn't even come close to it. We have tried attacking him with the death of his loved ones, but it only makes him angrier. The second time we tried it, he broke his restraints. He has also resisted the Cyulinum Toxin that lasted less longer than it did on other mechs and femmes, along with the recent drug that Starscream used yesterday."

Megatron was thoughtful for a moment. Finally, he asked, "What about the old drug?"

Soundwave's optics widen slightly. "The Verity Serum?" he questioned, his monotone not being able to hide his surprise. "My Lord, I don't know if he will be able to handle it. That drug is for bigger Cybertronians like Optimus."

At the mention of the name of the old drug Rodimus' body twitched nervously for he knew exactly what the drug could do. In order to make larger prisoners talk, a certain drug called Verity Serum was made to ensure that they talked. It turned its victims into what humans would describe as zombies, robbing them of their free will and making them hallucinate, but it also inflicted a lot of pain on the pain receptors and often overloads the processor if the victim could not handle it. Mostly it worked, but only on the larger mechs because they were powerful enough to succumb to just the after effects except for the overloading processors. The smaller built mechs would, however, immediately get the processor overload and offline minutes after they had been injected with the drug.

Taking a deep breath and bowing his head, Rodimus snuck a quick glance at the black and navy blue mech. He could see he was looking very worried about this.

A feminine snicker caught Rodimus' attention and he turned his head to see Thunderblast with an evil grin on her lips. She had the needle in her digits and was approaching him slowly purposefully. It seemed that Megatron had given her the pleasure of injecting the drug into his systems. She came to his side and peeled off the panel in his neck that hid his main energon line.

But Rodimus wouldn't go down without a fight and he twisted and turned his head in different directions to avoid the painful touch of the needle. He knew that if he so much as even tried to bite her, Megatron would be extremely pissed off and no doubt hit him again. As Thunderblast tried to stop him from moving, he slammed his neck down on her servo, pinning it between his hard plating and the cold table.

Thunderblast gave a startled yelp and pulled her aching limb from underneath, snarling fiercely.

But Rodimus' short feeling of triumph didn't last long as a massive surge of pain struck him dead in the face and his head swung back violently from the heavy blow. He winced as he found that a large dent had formed in his facial features and the blow had undone some of the minor repairs to his injured optic.

Cold, hard digits turned his head to face the attacker and his blurry vision showed Megatron glaring at him. "If you even dare to harm my femme again next time, I will not hesitate to kill you," he threatened darkly, releasing his hold on him.

Rodimus felt energon work its way into his mouth, some even trickled down his cheek from his damaged optic like tears. He snorted in mock amusement, "I promised Starscream that I would not hesitate to kill him, your bitch, Slipstream or Vortex when I escape. Unlike you, I make good on my promises."

A twitch in Megatron's digits was the only response he got.

"That's an empty threat!" Thunderblast spat.

Rodimus snapped his head in her direction, good optic flashing with annoyance. "I always keep my promises for I have been trained by Optimus and several other officers." He returned his gaze back to Megatron. "You should know how Optimus is also a mech of his word as well. And, just like Optimus, I have killed without hesitation when my loved ones were in danger."

Megatron's optics hardened somewhat as though he was thinking carefully on Rodimus' words. With Arcee supposedly dead and Rodimus vowing that Thunderblast, Slipstream or Vortex will die for playing the role in making it happen, it made him hesitate.

Sensing that, a small smile crawled upon Rodimus' lips. He had earned a small victory over his enemy for the first time, and it was a satisfying feeling.

Bearing his sharp dental plates, Megatron whirled upon Thunderblast, snarling in a furious voice, "Give the drug to the youngling or else you will end up being next in line for torture!"

Frightened, Thunderblast submissively complied by finally injecting the sharp tip into Rodimus' neck. But as she did this, she shot him a pissed off glare that promised him a heap of pain for getting her into trouble with her lord and sparkmate. Rodimus showed no emotion as his processor recalled Prowl's training about staying focused. She stepped back to watch as the drug started to kick in.

A rush of heat coursed through Rodimus' body, his head began to swim followed by blurred vision. He shook his head, trying to focus on what was in front of him, but everything was disorientated and barely coming into focus. He was unable to make out what anyone was saying as cries of alarm entered his audio receptors. The room started to spin and vomit dripped onto his chest.

Someone shouted something and then he felt a stinging sensation in his neck again. It took seconds before his vision cleared again and everything returned to normal. He soon realised that it was the black and navy blue mech who had injected him with the counter drug.

The mech was cleaning his face and chest with a towel of the excess vomit.

"What happened?"

"The drug was far too strong for his systems," explained Soundwave casually. "He's still adjusting to our methods."

"I'm tired of this slag!" Thunderblast snarled and she threw back her arm, her servo curling into a fist in preparation for another punch.

Megatron lifted an arm and stopped her mid-strike. "I suggest," he said calmly, "that we try a different method, but we will discuss about it once the youngling has recovered from the drug."

Thunderblast sighed in defeat and she, Megatron and Soundwave depart from the room, leaving Rodimus and the nameless mech alone.

The mech came to Rodimus' side, looking down upon him with concern in his optics. He asked, "Are you well?"

Rodimus chuckled weakly, though it hurt to laugh. "Yeah, I am but all I need is a little rest."

The mech didn't look convinced, but he offered another cube of energon to him. "Here, this will make the internal repairs easier."

As Rodimus drank the cube, there was a thoughtful look in the mech's visor. Finally, he glanced over to set of tools on the far side of the room. He headed over to it, picking up one of the instruments that looked like some kind of scanner with a short rod coming out of it, inspecting it with a keen optic before he made his way back to Rodimus' side.

"W-what are you doing?" Rodimus demanded nervously, hoping that the mech didn't plan on torturing him too.

"Be quiet," the mech ordered a little harshly, "and let me work."

He took out a piece of wire from within the device and placed it in the back of Rodimus' cranium. He fiddled with a few buttons, pressing some here and there before one of them turned green. Rodimus felt his systems hum in response and then a timer appeared on the side of his HUD. The timer was set to 25:0:0, indicating that something would happen in at least twenty-five hours from now.

"What have you done?" Rodimus questioned again.

The mech glared at him. "I told you to be quiet," he hissed. "Do not mention this to anyone else. What I have done will provide you a chance to escape once I sort everything out." His face softened somewhat. "I beg you to trust me on this."

For a few moments, Rodimus didn't say anything, unsure how to respond. Would the timer really help him to escape or was it some sort of bomb activation? Uncertainty and doubt ended the back of his processor and everything hurt to understand and process. This mech – this stranger – was asking him to trust him if he was to escape. He was a Decepticon! How could Rodimus trust him? But the mech had saved him from being raped by Flamewar and now he had done something that would help him to get out and to freedom, back to his birth planet where he rightfully belonged.

Rodimus finally nodded. "You're the first Decepticon to have ever shown me kindness," he chuckled. "I'm going to have to trust you if I am to get out of here in one piece."

The mech smiled and replied, "It's all part of my job."

Rodimus opened his mouth to ask what he meant, but then the door opened to reveal Megatron, Thunderblast and Soundwave. The mech blinked one optic quickly at him and retreated to the far end of the room without a backward glance over his shoulder.

Rodimus sighed and the session resumed.

**Twelve Hours Later**

Rodimus no longer had the strength to move his muscle cables anymore once he had been returned to his cell. His processor hurt so much that it hurt to even think. The session had lasted for such a long time that he barely got any recharge. The navy blue and black mech hadn't accompanied him as Slipstream and Vortex put the forcefield back up and left him alone to think things through, but not before Vortex gave him a quick in the side and called him a 'stupid Autobot.'

Despite the pain running through his body, Rodimus' good optic never left the timer on his internal chronometer since the mech had set it. It now read 13:0:0, indicating there was only thirteen hours left before whatever the mech had planned for him happened. He hoped – and prayed – that this wasn't a trick, but he had no one else to trust in this dire situation. But deep down in his spark, something told him that he could trust this stranger with his life. Whoever he was that is.

Rodimus sighed and once again attempted to rest up as best as he possibly could. From what he had overheard from Megatron, Slipstream and Vortex, there would be no interrogation for him tomorrow since all the Decepticons were on high alert for something unusual. Megatron was needed to take a look at something important, Starscream would be away to check on what the Autobots were up to, Thunderblast had a sparkling to attend to, and Soundwave was forced research other kinds of torture techniques that would be able to break him.

This opportunity gave Rodimus the chance to recover from his 'interrogations' and the mech had promised that he would visit two more times to give him his special system boosting energon that would help him when the timer finished counting down.

Rodimus curled up into a ball in order to keep warm, shivering from the coldness of the room as he fell into recharge.

**Thirteen Hours Later**

Rodimus woke up with a start as a tingling sensation was felt all around his body. The sensation then started to burn. It wasn't enough to hurt, but it was enough to be alarming. He considered calling his friend for help, but then, quite suddenly, a system wide alert sounded within his processor.

Puzzled, he analysed the data for a long moment before a large grin crossed his faceplates. He noticed that the timer had reached zero. It took him a second to realise that the mech had reactivated his transformation systems during their last precious moment together.

He picked himself up and quietly made his way over to the forcefield, checking to make sure that no one was around. Once it was all clear, he retreated back to his recharge berth, sitting down and looking down at one of his servos. He clenched it into a fist as he gave the silent command. It shook like it always did before his hand started to shift and slide in several places, becoming his blade.

Excitement coursed through his processor. Without hesitation, he allowed his armour to extend and be free for the first time in three days. Going for days without his armour and weapons had felt like he had been stripped down to complete nakedness, making him vulnerable and uncertain. He had always had armour since the day he had first transformed, having rarely been in his protoform for a certain amount of time unless he was recharging on his berth back in his quarters.

Satisfied that everything was all in working order, he reluctantly returned his armour and blade back into his body, leaving him once again in his protoform. He curled up on the berth and willed his recharge systems to come online, knowing that he needed every ounce of energy he could muster if he was to get away.

Then, just before he could rest, his private com-link activated and the mech's voice filled his audio receptors. _"Have your transformation systems come back online?"_ he asked.

"_They are, thanks to you_," Rodimus replied.

The mech sighed with relief. _"I am glad that it worked. I thought my skills would be too rusty to be able to do it for someone like you. Anyways, I promised you that I'll bring one of my special energon cubes for you to consume once I'm done finishing up the last of my plans."_

"_Tell me,"_ said Rodimus, _"what exactly is it that you're planning? I trust you enough now to believe that there is more to you than meets the eye."_

"_I'm sending a message to the Autobots."_

Rodimus' spark skipped a beat as the message sunk in. Those simple words caught him completely off guard. _"Then that means..."_

"_I am not with the Decepticons, youngling,"_ the mech explained. _"But we don't exactly have time to go into detail about my true alliances. The important thing is that you must be ready for the right moment to escape."_

Rodimus nodded, even though he knew that the mech couldn't see it. It just felt right to be able to respond. _"Thank you for everything you've done for me, whoever you are,"_ he said. _"I would have given up hope if you hadn't stepped in."_

"_Don't thank me just yet,"_ the mech answered casually. _"Get some rest and I'll bring you the energon booster."_

Rodimus replied that he will rest as much as he possibly can until he arrived to give him what he needed. As he prepared to get some decent recharge, he felt his lips curl up into a smile. His chance of escaping had just risen to more than the average percent. He had almost lost hope and would have given up if it weren't for this kind stranger.

He finally fell into a blissful recharge for the first time in days.


	12. Hope Restored

Bluestreak groaned in irritation as his friend Tracks sighed for the billionth time in a row since they had first been assigned to be here at Teletrann One. Tracks was leaning back in his chair, staring up at the ceiling with a look of boredom on his faceplates, his lips set in a grim straight line and the pieces of metal on his cheeks that allowed him to emote twitching slightly.

It had been three and a half days since Rodimus had been confirmed to have been taken by the Decepticons. Three and a half days of sitting at this console without a break, monitoring the planet for any Decepticon communication frequencies. Three and a half days of turning up with nothing at all. Everyone was beyond stressed out and obviously tired as well. The seven patrols who had been tasked with searching for any signs of Decepticon activity around the globe have found absolutely nothing all either, judging from the seventh's last report half an Earth hour ago.

Bluestreak glanced over at the others who were also helping to keep an eye out for anything. Springarm, Jetstorm and Tomahawk had volunteered to help them out since Bluestreak and Tracks couldn't exactly do it by themselves. But just like them, they too were exhausted from their three and a half day search. Several empty energon cubes were scattered around the room, while a few full ones sat by their owners' hands in case they needed to take a drink to refuel their tired bodies.

Tracks leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on the console in front of him and his hands running down his optics. "We've been sitting at this station for three and half days and I'm beyond fraggin' tired," he grumbled irritably.

"Tracks, we're all just as tired as you are," Bluestreak sighed, bowing his head slightly. "If we're patient enough, then we're bound to hear some good news on Rodimus' whereabouts."

Tracks slammed a fist down on the console, frightening everyone, and leapt to his feet. "That's just it, Blue!" he snapped at his friend. "The patrols have checked every corner of this mudball, and we've been listening to all kinds of frequencies and still nothing! We've been sitting here like this with hardly any recharge while the officers discuss the slag about reinstating N.E.S.T and offering our technology to the human race! Doesn't anyone bother to think that maybe the Decepticons aren't even stationed here at all?!"

Bluestreak shook his head tiredly before he responded, choosing his words carefully so as to not upset Tracks any further, "Hence why we have Sky Spy One scanning Saturn's moons for anything out of the ordinary, and Sky Spy Two halfway through the Asteroid Belt to scan Mars. I know you're tired, Tracks, but we're all doing our absolute best to find Rodimus, and even the officers are trying. But these things take time."

"But Rodimus doesn't have much time left!" Tracks hissed, scowling furiously. "For all we know, the Decepticons could have broken him by now!"

"That's not entirely true, Tracks."

Everyone turned and saw a wearied looking Prowl standing in the middle of the room. While he was known for being a stoic mech, Bluestreak could easily see that he was losing his composure. His doorwings were drooped all the way down until they were lying flat on his back, his back was hunched over slightly, and his normally calm facial expression had the faint grimness to his optics, cheeks and lips. Prowl was well known for being the Prime's rock, to shoulder the most difficult of burdens, but now it seemed like the stress of the search had finally begun to take its toll on him, making him appear older than he looked.

"Are you feeling alright, Prowl?" Jetstorm asked, his tone showing his concern. "You look like you could use a rest."

Prowl shook his head, answering, "No, but thank you for your concern, Jetstorm."

Jetstorm nodded, smiling faintly.

"Prowl, what did you mean by 'not entirely true'?" Springarm asked, raising an optic ridge.

The black and white mech vented a sigh. "I don't know the exact time of how much Rodimus can take," he replied. "But I do know one thing for certain: Rodimus is a stubborn young mech and will not give up so easily. If Optimus and I know him well enough, he'll hold on for as long as he possibly can. Only he knows his limitations. However, it's his will that worries me, it's the after-effects of his torture that I'm more concerned about."

"You think that he will not be the same when we get him back?" Bluestreak questioned.

Prowl bowed his head and for the first time, Bluestreak saw uncertainty in his optics. "I don't know," he answered solemnly.

Silence drowned out the command centre for several minutes before Tracks finally spoke up, though his voice showed his exhaustion, "What brought you here anyway? Surely you didn't come here to have a chat."

Prowl perked up slightly at the mention of his reason for being here. "I came here to let you know that the officers are close to reaching a decision. The humans should have their answer by the end of the day if there aren't any more arguments."

Excitement coursed through the room as Bluestreak and the others talked amongst each other, their exhaustion forgotten. It had been a while since there had been any good news and it sounded like things may turn around after all. But then a thought entered Bluestreak's processor and he returned his attention back to Prowl.

"Has Arcee awakened yet?" he asked, frowning a bit.

Prowl sighed sadly. "No, not since the operation ended three and a half days ago," he answered. "Springer's barely left her side after it finished and Ratchet is getting worried about his wellbeing. He hasn't recharged in days nor has he drunk any energon."

He stifled a yawn.

"Maybe you should get some recharge," Bluestreak suggested. "You look exhausted."

Prowl shook his head in response. "I cannot rest, not when I'm expecting an answer to come any time now." He paused before asking, "Has the team picked up anything on the frequencies?"

"Nothing yet, sir," Tracks answered, although from the scowl on his faceplates and his partially blinking optic covers, Bluestreak could tell that he was trying to keep his temper in check. "Do you think that it's possible that Rodimus and the Decepticons aren't even on Earth?"

Prowl lifted one arm and stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner, as though he was pondering on something very carefully. "Jetstorm, status report on the Sky Spies," he ordered in a calm voice.

"One moment," Jetstorm replied as he pressed a few buttons, bringing up on the monitor the systems of the Sky Spies. He swept through them quickly and reported as he worked, "Sky Spy One has just finished scanning Saturn and its moons. So far, it's turned up with nothing at all. Sky Spy Two on the other hand has just made it through the Asteroid Belt and should be at Mars within at least eight micro-cycles. After that, it will take two nano-cycles to get itself ready into position to begin the scan."

Prowl's doorwings drooped even further and his head hung low and Bluestreak could easily see the disappointment in his optics. "Thank you, Jetstorm," he sighed heavily. "Let me know if anything else comes up."

He turned to leave.

A feminine shriek caused him to stop dead in his tracks, and he and the others turned to Tomahawk, who was busy typing away. "What's wrong, Hawk?" Jetstorm asked, his optics wide with surprise.

Tomahawk faced Prowl in her chair, a digit pointing at the screen she was monitoring. "Prowl, sir," she cried excitedly, "Teletrann One just intercepted a message embedded in Autobot coding!"

Prowl stiffened, his doorwings held high at complete attention. "Decode it quickly now!" he ordered.

The femme didn't need to be told twice as she turned back to her screen and began her work. Her digits worked furiously to do what she did best. Having been taught by her mentor Elita-One during her time on Cybertron, she had picked up a few skills of her own that made her swift in her abilities. While she didn't like to boast, she was smart enough to know that her skills were still nothing compared to her mentor and Blaster.

Finally, she cracked the code and the Cybertronian words zipped across the screen. Her optics shifted left and right as she read out the code to her fellow Autobots. Never had the team and Prowl seen anything like it. When she was done reading, everyone became silent and they glanced over at the vice commander to see his reaction.

There was no reaction on his faceplates, but Prowl picked up a blank datapad on the console and handed it over to Tomahawk, urgency in his optics. "Copy the data onto this," he said firmly.

Tomahawk didn't need to be told twice as she did as she was told. Once she was done, she handed the datapad back to Prowl. Nodding his thanks, he turned and headed out the command centre as fast as he could to Optimus' office, all exhaustion forgotten.

* * *

It was quiet in the private room of the med-bay, but the only noise that Springer could hear was the steady beep of the life support machine connected to Arcee's chassis. He had barely moved a muscle cable over the past three and a half days nor had he recharged in that period. His optics had never strayed from the byzantine chassis of his ex-femme, never once leaving her peaceful looking faceplates.

Ratchet had said that it would be a long while before she came out of her sedated coma, but neither he nor First Aid knew exactly when it would happen. Only time would tell, and that was fine enough with Springer. He had refused to leave her side the moment the operation had succeeded and she had been placed in this room. He felt that he owed her an explanation for what had happened to her friend and an apology as well.

He reached a servo forward and clasped it around her own, one of the digits touching the top as if to give both him and her some form of reassurance. He bowed his head, venting a deep sigh and whispered underneath his breath, "Arcee... I'm... truly sorry I failed to help Rodimus. I also wish... to apologise for my jealous behaviour towards your feelings for him. I was a fool to think that I could keep you away from him; instead I only pushed you away even further. I thought I wasn't good enough for you, but now I understand that there's... something special between you two. It's obviously something that even I cannot interfere with."

He glanced up and lifted another servo to stroke her delicate features.

"If you choose Rodimus over me, Arcee, then..." He hesitated for a moment, uncertainty washing over his spark as the feelings of discomfort, jealousy and anger began to ebb away. He had no reason to act like this anymore. What was the point when Arcee's feelings no longer leaned towards him? He continued, "Then you have my blessing. I just... hope that... Rodimus is indeed the one you have been looking for. And, if he truly is your destined sparkmate, then I only wish that he treat you with the respect and love you deserve."

He squeezed her servo gently, tears falling down his faceplates. He was a warrior, he was not meant to show this much emotions for someone he cared about. The only time he ever did was during the passionate moments between himself and Arcee behind closed doors, yet nothing else.

He felt something in his servo squeeze back.

Shocked, he looked up and saw Arcee's soft blue optics looking into his own, the corners of her lips curling up into a small smile. She carefully removed her servo from his and her digits brushed soothingly over his left cheek, removing the tears.

"Arcee, I..." he tried to say but she silenced him by putting a digit to his mouth.

"Shhh," she said, shaking her head casually, "I heard what you said to me, and there are some things that need to be exchanged. "I wanted to apologise too for dumping you like that back on the _Elpis_. And if you're willing to give me your blessing regarding my feelings for Roddy, then I'll accept it."

Springer nodded his response before her faceplates shifted to a frown and he knew instantly what she was going to say.

"Tell me what happened in Mission City after I lost consciousness," she growled sternly.

Never had Springer heard such force in her voice, but he knew better than not to argue with her. He didn't leave a single detail out as he explained what Lennox and Epps had told him and the other Autobots back in Mission City. When he had finished, Arcee's faceplates became sullen, as though she was letting down the dam that held back her true emotions. Finally, she burst into tears, much to Springer's surprise.

"I'm so sorry," she choked, "for letting Roddy get captured!"

Springer blinked softly and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a warm embrace. He stroked her back, allowing her to cry on his shoulder as much as she wanted. "You don't have anything to be sorry for, Arcee," he told her kindly. "It was just bad luck that slag happened."

Her sobbing died down to a minimum and she pulled away from Springer, her optics averting his gaze as he wiped away her tears. "Arcee, I promise you that I'll get him back," he told her, taking her servos in his, forcing her to look back at him. "If we end up going on a mission together that involves rescuing him, then you'll help me."

She opened her mouth to answer him when the door to the private room opened swiftly and Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Sideswipe burst in. All three were venting furiously as though they had been running all the way down from the other side of the base.

Ratchet managed to control his heavy breathing, glancing between Springer and Arcee for a moment until his gaze rested on Arcee, a tiny smile on his lips. "Glad to see you're awake, Arcee," he told her. "I take it that Springer informed you of what happened?"

Arcee's only response was a faint nod.

Ratchet's gentle attitude evaporated to his infamous grouchiness as he whirled upon Springer and grabbed him by the arm, his grasp was extremely firm as he glared into his optics. His lips pulled back into a snarl, huffing angrily, "As for you, youngling, go and get some energon and recharge right now before I weld your aft to the ceiling! You've spent enough time by Arcee's side."

Springer scowled and wrenched his arm free from Ratchet's grasp, grumbling in a darkly manner, "I will as soon as I figure out why you and Rodimus' guardians are here in the first place. You three obviously didn't come down here for a chat."

"Optimus and Prowl called for all the officers to come to the Briefing Room," explained Bumblebee, tilting his head to one side.

"They have requested that you, Arcee and myself to come along as well," added Sideswipe calmly as he folded his arms across his chest.

"However," put in Ratchet, "I need to give you, Arcee, a quick check up before you go. Once you're clear, you and I will join the others." He shot a glare at the three young mechs. "That means it's a _**private**_ check up! Get out!" He picked up one of his wrenches and waved it in a threatening manner at the three. "Get out now before I throw this at you!"

Arcee laughed as she watched Springer, Bumblebee, and Sideswipe make a bolt for the door as fast as their legs would allow them.

Ratchet shook his head in amusement and picked up an instrument. "Young 'Bots," he sighed, picking up a scanner off a table next to the berth, "can't live without them, can't melt them down for spare parts."

She nodded in agreement, "So true."

"Let's get started then," Ratchet said, beginning the scan.

* * *

**Fifteen Minutes Later**

Rodimus' guardians – Bumblebee and Sideswipe – stood side by side outside the Briefing Room while Springer paced anxiously in front of them with a cube of half-drunk energon in his trembling servo. All the other officers had gone in and were sitting in their respective seats, including Optimus and Prowl. That just left the three, Ratchet and Arcee to come inside and then they could get the meeting underway.

Bumblebee looked over at Springer. "How are you doing?" he asked him.

Springer stopped in his pacing, his gaze shifting over to the yellow mech. "Honestly? Well, I'm better than I originally was." He took a sip of his cube and vented a sigh. "I just wish I could forgive myself for what happened back at Mission City. I feel like it was my fault that Rodimus was captured."

A three-fingered hand rested on his shoulder and he blinked when he saw Sideswipe looking him dead in the optics. "Do not blame yourself for what happened," he told him. "There is nothing to forgive. We just have to have faith in whatever reason Optimus and Prowl called us in for."

Springer tried to answer when he was rudely interrupted by the snap of a familiar voice.

"I thought I told you to get some recharge!" Ratchet's voice snarled and the next thing Springer knew, he was whacked across his head that connected with a solid bang. He stumbled a few steps, but was caught in the nick of time by Bumblebee, who grabbed him by the arm and heaved him back onto his pedes.

Springer regained his balance and whirled to face Ratchet. "Recharge isn't important at the moment, old mech!" he snapped, rubbing the back of his helm. "We were waiting for you two so we could get the meeting underway."

"Fine," Ratchet hissed, still glaring at the younger mech. "But after that, get some recharge or I'll sedate you." He came forward and jabbed a digit into Springer's chest plate. "Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

"Yes, sir," Springer mumbled.

Bumblebee and Arcee laughed out loud just as Sideswipe inclined his head toward the Briefing Room. "They're waiting for us," he simply told them. They then headed inside the room where Ratchet took his seat beside Ironhide, who sat on Optimus' left. Bumblebee sat down beside Ratchet. Prowl sat on Optimus' right as it was his place as his second in command for the time being.

Sideswipe, Arcee and Springer took the three empty seats at the end of the table on Skyfire's right with Arcee sitting at the far end.

Optimus leaned forward in chair, all optics resting on him, and nodded to Prowl. "Tell them what you told me," he ordered.

Prowl didn't waste any time as he stood from his seat, taking out the datapad that Tomahawk had given him earlier from his subspace pocket and inserted it into a slide that popped out from beneath the table in front of him. "While the monitoring team had been on watch," he explained casually, "Tomahawk had picked up this message that was embedded in Autobot coding. She managed to decode it."

He pressed a button and the table lightened up a bright blue, bringing up a holographic image of what appeared to be a large mountain unlike anything the Autobots had seen on Earth. The mountain looked normal, but when the officers got a closer look at it, there were over a hundred different rooms within it. Then, a written message came out in front of the mountain's image and Prowl read it out loud for everyone to hear.

"_Rodimus Prime is alive and well in the Decepticon base and has held on despite the mistreatment he's going through. I have been providing him as much encouragement as I could. You will find the Decepticon base at these coordinates on the fourth planet in the Solar System that the humans call Mars. Sincerely... Punch."_

Optimus frowned when Prowl had finished reading. "Exactly who is this Punch character?" he questioned. "I have refrained from asking until the meeting had started."

Prowl looked down at his former commander, his facial expression unreadable. "Punch is an Autobot spy who has been behind enemy lines since Sentinel Prime sent him there long before you, Optimus, became Prime," he replied. "If you remember Doublecross, the disguised Autobot known as Cloudburst, Punch is descended from the same breed as him known as Shifters. Punch's Decepticon name is Counterpunch. The reason why we kept it a secret from everyone is so that we would not blow his cover. After Sentinel died at Optimus' servos, I was the only one left who knew."

Arcee nodded her understanding, asking, "When are we going to go after Rodimus?"

Optimus smiled reassuringly at her, but it was almost too small to be seen. "We will set off as soon as we have talked with the President. First, we have to discuss about our next course of action."

Prowl didn't need to be told twice. He removed the message from view to reveal the Decepticon base inside the mountain. "The base," he explained, "is on the planet's western side inside the highest mountain in this solar system – Olympus Mons – in order to conceal it from plain sight. From the plans that Punch has sent us, Rodimus should be located in the prisoner cellblocks, which should be here."

He pointed to the section of the holographic image of the base at the east side, which lit up where he touched it.

"There is also," he added, pointing to a set of three smaller mountains near the larger one, "a set of smaller volcanoes not too far from the base, which Shuttle One, Two, and Three can use for cover until the moment is right to strike. The shuttles have enough room in them to transport at least twenty Autobot soldiers each, which includes the pilot and the co-pilot."

He glanced over at Optimus, as though he was waiting for something.

Optimus nodded. "You, Skyfire, Bumblebee, Ironhide, Hound, and Scattorshot have my permission to assign the teams," he said. His optics diverted to Ratchet. "Ratchet, you will be choosing a team of medical 'bots that will help you make repairs to any of the injured. Prowl..."

"I'll call the President and let him know of our decision," Prowl finished for him.

Wheeljack raised an arm, causing everyone to turn their heads to look at him quizzically.

"What is it you wish to speak about, Wheeljack?" Optimus asked, raising an optic ridge.

Wheeljack said nothing for a moment when he saw all the optics look over at him. He summed up his courage, answering in a quiet voice, "It's ready."

A satisfied smile worked its way to the former Autobot commander's lips for the first time in a long while. "Thank you, Wheeljack, I'll come and test it out in your laboratory where we will not be disturbed." He returned his gaze back onto the officers. "Does anyone else have anything to add?"

"I have nothing to add," Ironhide smirked.

Everyone else gave their answer as well, but Bumblebee frowned at Optimus, looking suspicious. "Not to question you or anything, Sir," he said, "but what are you up to?"

Optimus chuckled. "I will reveal it once we're on Mars if Wheeljack's test proves to be a success."

"What do you mean 'if'?" Ironhide joked. "When has his inventions ever worked or not blown up?"

Everyone burst into fits of uncontrollable laughter before they finally settled down and shook their heads in amusement. Wheeljack appeared worried and unsettled about this, but Optimus gave him a reassuring nod that that he had faith in his invention.

"We will see during the test," said Optimus. "But right now, we have more important things to do. Everyone dismissed."

Everyone began to leave the room just as he ordered Wheeljack to lead him to his laboratory so that they may test out whatever they had planned behind closed doors.

Bumblebee warbled to Arcee, Springer, and Sideswipe, asking them to slow down once they were outside the room. They did so and waited for him to catch up. When he did, he swerved a digit over them, pointing at all three of them. "You three will be on my team," he told them with a kind smile. "I know how much Rodimus means to you especially, Arcee."

Arcee struggled to hold back her tears, but she failed miserably. She took a few steps forward and embraced her yellow friend, surprising him. He chuckled and hugged her back in response. When they released each other, Arcee asked, "What do we need to do? This is my first full out battle, you know."

Sideswipe smirked and inclined his head down the corridor.

"Come with us and we'll show you," Bumblebee laughed, leading the way towards their destination.

* * *

Alright, next chapter is going to take a long while because I need to think for a while. Doing Transformers and humans interacting is a little complicated. Oh well, we'll see how it goes. Until next chapter!


End file.
